Ukraine warns of nuclear disaster risk at Zaporizhzhia plant

Thursday 12 February 2026 - 08:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Ukraine warns of nuclear disaster risk at Zaporizhzhia plant

The head of Ukraine’s state nuclear company warned Tuesday that Russia lacks the equipment and technical capacity to safely restart the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, cautioning that any attempt to bring the facility back online without Ukrainian systems could trigger a nuclear disaster.

Pavlo Kovtoniuk, chief executive of Energoatom, said Russia does not possess the essential control systems or spare parts required to operate the six reactor complex, which Russian forces seized in the early days of the 2022 invasion. According to remarks reported by Reuters, Kovtoniuk stated that the plant’s main equipment, as well as its control, protection and monitoring systems, are Ukrainian in origin. Without access to the original design documentation and replacement components, he said, the facility cannot be safely operated.

Kovtoniuk invoked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster to underline the risks. He noted that the catastrophe at Chernobyl was not the result of deliberate intent but of equipment operating under conditions for which it was not designed. He said the situation at Zaporizhzhia presents similar dangers if systems are pushed beyond their technical limits.

Although much of the plant dates back to the Soviet era, Kovtoniuk said it is no longer fully compatible with modern Russian technology. Restarting the facility would require Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom to replace the American fuel currently loaded in the reactors and to overhaul the control system, which was specifically adapted to that fuel type. Rosatom has previously indicated it is prepared to return the US supplied fuel to the United States but has not publicly addressed Kovtoniuk’s latest comments.

The future of the Zaporizhzhia plant, which can generate up to one third of Ukraine’s electricity when operating at full capacity, has become a central sticking point in US mediated peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Washington has proposed a joint management framework involving shared oversight and electricity distribution among the parties. Moscow maintains that the territory is now part of Russia and that the plant falls under Rosatom’s ownership.

Russia has rejected a US proposal that would have placed the facility under Washington’s control. Instead, Moscow has suggested managing the plant directly while supplying Ukraine with discounted electricity, a plan Kyiv considers unacceptable.

Ramil Galiyev, the Russian appointed director of the plant, said in December that electricity production could resume by mid 2027 if the conflict ends quickly. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi has warned that without a political resolution, the risk of a nuclear incident remains as long as fighting continues in the region.

A third round of trilateral talks is expected as early as next week, though it remains unclear whether Russia will agree to hold the discussions in the United States.