Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday placing the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine under involuntary Russian state control and amending the country’s constitution by admitting new regions to the Russian Federation.
The annexation of Zaporizhzhya and three other regions is illegal under international law and has been widely condemned by the international community.
Despite international opposition to the move, Putin also instructed the cabinet to determine how to regulate and operate the Zaporizhzhya factory, which has been under duress from the Russian military since March, until 2028.
Just as Putin signed the decree, Ukraine’s nuclear operator, Energoatom, said its president would take over from the plant’s director general.
Petro Kotin, president of Energoatom, said in a video address to factory workers: “In accordance with current legislation, approval and regulatory documents, I have decided to assume the duties of the Director General of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant . ”
He said management of the plant would be transferred directly to Kiev after the detention by Russian officials of the plant’s general manager, Ihor Murashov. On Tuesday, the IAEA said Murashov will not continue his duties at the nuclear power plant after his release from Russian detention.
Kotin also noted that operational issues at the plant would be resolved by the technical staff in consultation with the company’s headquarters.
IAEA intervention: The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, was in Kiev on Thursday to discuss his calls to establish a nuclear safety zone around the plant “as soon as possible”, the IAEA said in a statement. Grossi will also visit Russia in the coming days.
Grossi said at a news conference that it is still unclear what the “practical ramifications” were of Russia’s decision to seize the factory, but he would discuss those matters at high-level meetings in Moscow. He also said the IAEA considers the facility Ukrainian.
“We want this war to end. The war must stop immediately. The IAEA’s position is that this facility is a Ukrainian facility, but I will not comment on military developments,” Grossi said.
“It is clear to us that since this is a Ukrainian facility, the property (sic) is on Energatom,” Grossi said, referring to Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power company. “We are an international agency and are guided by international law. And as you all know very well, annexations are not accepted under international law.”
Some context: The factory in Zaporizhzhya has been under intense surveillance since the occupation shortly after the Russian invasion in late February. Intense Russian shelling near the facility this summer raised concerns about a nuclear accident, prompting the International Atomic Energy Agency to send a team there.
The nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe with six reactors. It is still run by Ukrainian engineers, but the forced annexation of Zaporizhzhya means it is now on Russian territory under Russian law.