Kyiv — Greenpeace Ukraine today criticized IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi when on the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster he said that in terms of the future of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), ‘purely technically, its joint use by Ukraine and Russia is possible.”

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was among the first targets of the Russian military forces during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It has also become one of the central issues in ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the war between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, for a fifth consecutive year, Russia has been attempting to unlawfully seize permanent control of the plant, in violation of international law, multiple resolutions, and decisions, including those of the International Atomic Energy Agency (1). These actions are aimed at creating the false impression that Russia can be considered a legitimate operator or authority at the facility. This is unlawful and unacceptable, according to Greenpeace Ukraine.

“Rafael Grossi’s statement on the shared use of the ZNPP by the criminal organisation Rosatom, while in Ukraine as a guest, on the very day of the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster is deeply insulting. This statement is shocking but not surprising. To suggest that the Russian nuclear state that created the Chornobyl disaster be given any role in the future of the ZNPP which since 2022 it has attacked, occupied and tortured its workers, is an outrage which Greenpeace Ukraine condemns,” said Jan Vande Putte radiation and nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine.

 Joint control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by Russia and Ukraine is neither legally nor technically viable. After four years of occupation, the plant already faces severe safety risks due to staff shortages and the lack of critical maintenance. There have been 15 times since 2022 when loss of-off-site power (LOOP) outages occurred at the nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe.  Allowing Rosatom to restart the reactors would pose a serious nuclear threat not only to Ukraine but to all of Europe.

As Rafael Grossi suggested, it may be “technically possible” for both countries to receive electricity from the plant, and that staffing “is not a major issue” given the cold shutdown status (2). However, such claims overlook fundamental realities: a nuclear power plant requires a single operator and regulator, the reconfiguration of critical electrical infrastructure would put essential safety systems at risk.

The plant remains the property of Energoatom and is regulated solely by SNRIU. Meanwhile, staffing levels have dropped from 11,000 before the invasion to around 5,000 under Russian control (3). Repeated power losses—including the latest disconnection of the 330 kV line, forcing reliance on emergency diesel generators — further demonstrate the station’s unstable and unsafe condition.

“Grossi’s statements are dangerous and reveal an ignorance of basic nuclear safety — they send the signal to Moscow that as far as the head of the IAEA is concerned Rosatom control and staffing of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is legitimate with no safety implications. It also reveals that he does not understand basic nuclear power plant safety principles, including his own Seven Pillars and Five Principles.  Under no circumstances is it safe or legitimate for a nuclear plant, in this case Europe’s largest, with vast amounts of high level nuclear waste under military occupation, with thousands of reduced staff,  to be retained under the control of Rosatom and the Russian military. Grossi has once again crossed-line in his support for Russia,” said Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine.

Grossi is currently campaigning to be the next United Nations Secretary General. In September 2025, Grossi received the support of Russian President Putin (4).

Notes:

1 – Joint Statement on Nuclear Safety, Security, and Safeguards in Ukraine IAEA Board of Governors Meeting (June 2025), June 2025, see https://mev.gov.ua/sites/default/files/2025-06/joint-statement-on-nuclear-safety-security-and-safeguards-in-ukraine.pdf

2 – Loss of specialists at occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘not a major issue,’ IAEA chief says, 26 April 2026, see https://kyivindependent.com/loss-of-specialists-at-occupied-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-not-a-major-issue-iaea-chief-says/

3 – IAEA Report to Board of Governors, Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine, 27 February 20-2025, see https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/documents/gov2025-11.pdf; and Ivan Khomenko, Russia Detains at Least 13 Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Workers, Energoatom Reports May 13, 2025, see https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-detains-at-least-13-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-workers-energoatom-reports-8337

4 – Putin and Lukashenkо welcome Grossi’s candidacy for UN Secretary-General – Peskov, 25 September 2025, see https://unn.ua/en/news/putin-and-lukashenka-welcome-grossis-candidacy-for-un-secretary-general-peskov