Major world powers, Russia and the United States, are exploring the possibilities of jointly managing the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially confirmed that the U.S is interested in using the nuclear electricity facility for crypto mining. The facility used to supply electricity to Ukraine; the reactors have been shut down since 2022 after the Russian forces controlled the facility. The newly proposed plan excludes Ukraine’s participation; however, as a resolution, Moscow and Washington are preparing to include electricity supply to Ukraine as part of the deal.
Russian outlet Kommersant has reported that President Vladimir Putin held the traditional pre-New Year’s meeting of the State Council on December 25, 2025. All members of the State Council were present, and the meeting was followed by an exhibition in the Malachite Room, in front of the entrance to the Alexander and St. Andrew’s Halls of the Kremlin. At an exclusive meeting with business representatives, Putin discussed the collective management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The Russian president has clarified that the American side is interested in establishing crypto mining operations at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Situated in Southeastern Ukraine and now under Russian occupation, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear energy facility in Europe. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, the facility provided 20% of Ukraine’s electricity, and all the reactors were shut down and transferred to Rosenergoatom by September 2022. Following the shutdown, Ukrainian specialists remained at the facility, continuing their work under newly issued Russian passports.
Russia Grants Operating License to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Amid Safety Fears
Restarting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and using it for crypto mining could be a big challenge for the United States. It will become more difficult as all six reactors have been shut down for a long period of time, and especially since five of them are in cold shutdown. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already raised concerns over the nuclear safety standards of the facility, which makes the process more difficult, even with the official permission from the Russian administration. According to the regulating agency, under the current conditions, restarting those six shut-down reactors is not ideal and safe at all.
Rostekhnadzor, the Russian Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision, has issued Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) an operating license for its first power unit on December 23, 2025. The agency stated in an official document that the issuance of the first Russian license for Europe’s largest nuclear facility marked the culmination of extensive work that began after Russian Presidential Decree No. 711 was issued in October 2022. It said the document confirmed that the technical condition of the power unit and the plant’s operation fully complied with the Russian Federation’s federal norms and regulations governing the use of nuclear energy.
Following the issuance of the licence, Rosatom State Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev commented that they were gradually moving toward a possible change in the operating mode of Unit 1 in the future, including the resumption of electricity generation. He said this would require an appropriate decision and the unconditional fulfillment of all licence conditions, particularly safety guarantees. Likhachev added that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as the largest in Europe, would make a significant contribution to restoring the region’s industrial potential once the situation returned to normal.
Read More: Wall Street Ends Close To All-Time Highs In Light-Trading, Post-Holiday Session
Safety, Geopolitical Risks Raise Alarm Over Nuclear Facility Agreement
The latest initiative from the Russian administration and the deal with the U.S, the two major powers in the world, have ignited heated debates online.
Anatoli, a Ukrainian citizen, strongly opposed the idea, arguing that turning the theft of a nuclear plant into a so-called “business opportunity” was not a negotiation but a heist disguised as diplomacy. He said that Putin did not need tanks if he could instead sell stolen property to appeal to the American ego, and accused Trump of acting like a willing and dangerously naive accomplice. Anatolij warned that normalizing such behavior would send a message to dictators worldwide that they could steal first and negotiate later, and he questioned which countries might be targeted next, naming Taiwan, Poland, and the Baltic states as possible examples.
An excerpt from a Reddit discussion opined that Russia lacked the expertise to operate the reactors and that Ukrainian engineers had refused to assist even under coercion, which was why the facility had been shut down. It added that Russia was now attempting to obtain the required expertise from the United States.
