Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for tougher international sanctions against Russia, including measures targeting its nuclear sector, saying Moscow has turned nuclear facilities in Ukraine into instruments of war.
Russia has repeatedly been accused by Ukraine and international monitors of endangering nuclear safety during the war, particularly through its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia plant and military activity near nuclear-linked infrastructure. The IAEA has warned of ongoing risks at occupied sites.
Zelenskyy ties nuclear site risks to call for tougher sanctions and stronger air defence
Speaking on the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, Zelenskyy said Russia has used both the Chornobyl exclusion zone and the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in ways that threaten nuclear safety and international security.
The president said Russia’s actions show that nuclear facilities are being treated as part of its military infrastructure, increasing risks far beyond Ukraine.
He urged international partners to expand sanctions on Russia and strengthen Ukraine’s air defence and long-range capabilities, saying they are essential to protecting civilians, infrastructure, and nuclear safety sites.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “turned into war asset”
Zelenskyy pointed to the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying Russia has effectively turned Europe’s largest nuclear facility into a military asset.
He said Russian forces have used the site’s surroundings for attacks on Ukrainian cities, stored weapons and ammunition on its grounds, and mined parts of the perimeter. The plant has also experienced multiple full blackouts since the occupation began.
Russian forces treated Chornobyl zone as battlefield, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy said Russian forces, when they entered the Chornobyl zone at the start of the full-scale invasion, appeared to have no understanding of the site’s history or nuclear risks.
He accused them of treating the area as ordinary battlefield terrain, including digging positions, deploying artillery, and using military vehicles in the exclusion zone.
He also said Russian troops damaged equipment, mistreated workers at the Chornobyl plant and related facilities, and that some Ukrainian National Guard personnel who had been guarding the site remain in Russian captivity.
Zelenskyy said it was “impossible to expect” that decades after the 1986 catastrophe, the site and surrounding zone would again be drawn into military use.
