Russia captured Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant early in the war. A new Greenpeace report viewed by the New York Times records the "first physical evidence" that Moscow is quietly plotting to source energy from the facility. Per the report, which is based in part on satellite images, more than 50 miles of power lines and pylons have been constructed in occupied southeastern Ukraine between the cities of Mariupol and Berdyansk since February.
The group's analysis suggests Russia is moving to connect these lines to a substation near Mariupol that links back to the Zaporizhzhia plant, which sits another 140 miles to the west. The Times notes Russia's intentions aren't known, including whether it wants to run the plant in the near-term—all six of its reactors were shut down after Russia seized the facility, with its location near the front lines precluding safe operation.
The paper adds that linking the Zaporizhzhia plant to the Russia grid would require several more steps—likely including fixing a destroyed dam on the Dnipro River that had provided the plant with the water it needed for cooling reactors. President Trump has pushed the idea of Russia giving up the plant and the US coming in to manage it; both Russia and Ukraine would receive electricity from the plant under that scenario. Reuters reports that in the wake of the report, Ukraine has registered a complaint with the International Atomic Energy Agency. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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