Russia deliberately cut off the electricity supply at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which it had been receiving from Ukraine’s power grid, to conduct a test for its subsequent connection to Russia’s own power system, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated.
“Russia deliberately cut power to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This was a manual disconnection carried out as a test while Russia is preparing to reconnect the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to its own power grid,” he wrote on X.
Sybiha emphasized that this move by Russia will be even more dangerous, as the reactor restart, according to him, will take place under occupation, without proper cooling, without any license, and outside any supervision.
“A reckless move only to serve Putin’s show of control. Such irresponsible actions by Russia increase the risk of nuclear incidents,” he stressed.
The minister highlighted that ZNPP should be regarded for what it is – a tool of military maneuvering. He described every Russian action not only as a deadly risk but as steps toward a potential catastrophe. In his view, the recent blackout at Chernobyl NPP, caused by Russia striking a power substation, again demonstrated how Moscow uses nuclear safety as a weapon.
Sybiha called on the International Atomic Energy Agency, its member states, and all relevant partners to take every possible measure to ensure immediate restoration of the backup line and several other independent external connections to the Zaporizhzhia NPP. These measures include guarantees of safety, adherence to a ceasefire, unhindered access for repair crews, and provision of specialized equipment.
As reported, on the evening of September 23, the Zaporizhzhia NPP experienced its 10th blackout since the start of the occupation: at 16:56, the only 750 kV power line through which it received electricity from Ukraine’s grid was disconnected. Since then, the plant has been running on emergency diesel generators – for a record nine days.
On the day of the disconnection, Ukrenergo stated that emergency restoration work would begin as soon as the security situation allows.
Energoatom reported on September 25 that the ZNPP occupation administration deliberately did not reconnect the plant to the 750 kV line after the September 23 shutdown, despite no technical obstacles on the Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The last complete loss of external power at ZNPP occurred on July 4, 2025, when the plant relied on diesel generators for nearly four hours.
The Russian-occupied 6 GW Zaporizhzhia NPP had been operating on a single 750 kV power line for nearly five months, since May 7, after the last 330 kV backup line was damaged. In May, the IAEA Director General stated that it was unclear when power would be restored, even though previously external power had been recovered within the day.
