The well-known environmental organization Greenpeace stated that there are no signs of shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the towers and power transmission lines of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. This indicates a deliberate disconnection of the plant from the Ukrainian energy system by the Russian invaders and demonstrates that the refusal to repair and restore external power is deliberate sabotage by the occupiers.
McKenzie Intelligence Services experts analyzed high-resolution satellite imagery from September 26, 2025, provided by Greenpeace Ukraine. According to their findings, no strikes or attacks were recorded in the area of the damaged power line. The vertical lattice towers of the 750 kV line remain in place, standing upright, and the horizontal beam still connects the towers. The support with the suspended structure also remains intact, making potential repairs relatively simple. Analysis of the wider area confirmed the absence of signs of shelling in the area of the station.
On September 23, at 16:56, the only power line through which the Zaporizhzhia NPP received power from the Ukrainian power grid was disconnected. This was the tenth blackout since the beginning of the occupation of the plant by Russian troops. External power is necessary for any nuclear power plant, even in the event of reactor downtime, because without it, the reactors can experience a critical accident.
Russia claimed that the outage was caused by strikes by Ukrainian troops, and that repairs to the pylon were unsafe due to possible new attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, McKenzie's analysis did not confirm these claims: there are no craters in the area around the pylons and power lines, and all structures remain in place.
Greenpeace experts emphasize that Ukraine's policy is to prevent attacks on nuclear power plants. Russia is using the occupation of the ZNPP as a tactical and strategic weapon, deliberately sabotaging the repair of the last power transmission line, creating a crisis and the threat of a nuclear disaster to achieve political influence.
Jan Vande Putte, Greenpeace’s radiation and nuclear energy expert, called on IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to make it clear that Russia’s plans to restart any reactor at the plant are unacceptable. He said the only way to address the threats to nuclear safety is to end the Russian occupation.
