Kathrine Frich
Europe’s largest nuclear power station has become one of the most sensitive flashpoints in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Since Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in 2022, international agencies have repeatedly warned that fighting near the facility could trigger a nuclear disaster.
The plant’s importance has forced both sides to exercise caution at times. Several temporary ceasefires and safety arrangements have been discussed around the site in order to prevent military incidents that could damage reactors or critical infrastructure.
Despite those precautions, new testimony from former detainees and families of workers suggests Russia is not fully cooperating with efforts to safeguard the plant and protect the people responsible for running it.
Workers detained
Ivan Samoydiuk, the deputy mayor of Enerhodar, says he spent 333 days in Russian captivity after being abducted in March 2022 while delivering medicine and food.
“These were the most horrible days in my life,” he said during an event in Vienna calling for the release of Ukrainian civilians held by Russia.
Samoydiuk said prisoners were held in harsh conditions and frequently beaten.
“One thing that is hard for me to forget, I recall it all the time, is that for the Russians who tortured us, this is not just their job. They get pleasure out of it, they love it.”
He also described prisoners losing consciousness during beatings and said starvation was common during detention.
“Civilians were kept hungry, so hungry that they would ‘dream for a piece of bread,’” he said.
Pressure on plant staff
Several workers from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are still being held by Russian authorities, according to their families.
Oleksii Brazhnyk, a specialist responsible for the plant’s security systems, was detained in September 2022 after Russian forces took control of the facility.
His wife, Sviatlana, said the last time she spoke with him was earlier that day.
“He promised that he would call me in the evening. But he never did.”
She later learned that masked men had taken him from his workplace.
“They were forced to do very hard work,” she said. “My husband had bleeding inside his stomach and started vomitting blood.”
Minefield threats
Other families say detained workers were subjected to threats and intimidation.
Natalia, the wife of turbine engineer Serhii Spartesnyi, said her husband was held without charges before being transferred between detention facilities.
“He suffered a lot of physical violence. Now he has problems with his heart and stomach ulcers.”
She also described a situation in which detainees were forced into a minefield in occupied territory.
“Serhii was sent to a minefield in the occupied Kherson region,” she said.
“Russian soldiers told him to walk around in the minefield. If he survives, he survived If he doesn’t, he doesn’t.”
Serhii was later accused of espionage and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Nuclear safety concerns
Ukrainian officials say the detention and intimidation of plant workers could have serious consequences for nuclear safety.
Ukraine’s representative in Vienna, Yurri Vitrenko, warned that the presence of Russian troops at the plant poses a risk.
“Nuclear safety is not possible during occupation. The presence of Russian soldiers on the site is a direct threat,” he said.
He added that the detention of experienced personnel could undermine safe operations at the facility.
“This illegal detention directly impacts the nuclear safety and security at ZNPP and in Europe.”
Before the war, about 11,000 people worked at the Zaporizhzhia plant. Ukrainian officials say only around 3,000 remain today after thousands fled the occupied city of Enerhodar.
Experts warn that the loss of experienced staff and the pressure placed on those who remain could increase risks at a facility considered critical to Europe’s energy and nuclear security.
Sources: The Sun, Ukrainian officials, Reuters
