strict regime nuclear power plant
“Igor Valeryevich, there are three chairs: one Russian, one Ukrainian, and the third chair is nuclear. I suggest that you take and sit on a nuclear chair and do everything in the interests of the nuclear industry, ”it was in the spirit of such a prison riddle that Igor Murashov, the general director of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, was offered cooperation. Renat Karchaa, adviser to the director of the Russian Rosenergoatom, did not hesitate to talk about his invitation to work together on the air of the Our Time program on Radio Russia. According to him, he spoke with the head of the nuclear power plant "at the very beginning of the acquaintance, somewhere in the second or third meeting."
On September 30, Igor Murashov was kidnapped. His car was stopped by a Russian patrol. Murashov was blindfolded and taken away in an unknown direction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the kidnapping an act of Russian terror. Murashov was released three days after the intervention of the head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi, representatives of the UN and French President Emmanuel Macron. During this time, the head of the nuclear power plant was forced to appear in a video for the Russia-24 channel and was accused of “cooperating with the SBU,” although the position of director of a nuclear power plant, in principle, implies working with special services. Then he was expelled to the territory controlled by Ukraine. The story of Murashov's abduction is one of many similar ones.
When in early September the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, announced the launch of a mission on the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP, the residents of Energodar and the NPP employees breathed a sigh of relief. Then it seemed that the constant presence of IAEA inspectors, if not put an end to it, would minimize both the shelling of the station and the pressure on the Ukrainian employees of the station. However, the repression did not stop. As Olga Kosharnaya, an independent expert in the field of nuclear energy and a former member of the Board of the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine, told The Insider, the Russian military is still trying to keep Ukrainian personnel by force and prevent people from leaving for the territory controlled by Kyiv.
The Russian military is trying to keep Ukrainian personnel by force and do not allow people to leave for the territory controlled by Kyiv
The Russians form and submit to the checkpoint lists of NPP employees who are not allowed to travel abroad. First of all, this concerns managers of various levels, whose presence at the facility is critical for the operation of the plant. Kosharnaya says that some employees are forced to sign contracts, threatening to take family members hostage:
“I was approached on November 26 by a female middle manager. She was in despair. She could not leave, she has a child in a wheelchair. She is on the list, her husband also works at the ZNPP. They told her directly – if you don’t sign, we’ll take her husband “to the basement”. The woman decided not to go to work.”
The expression “taken to the basement” has taken root among the residents of Energodar, since the abducted are most often taken to the basement for interrogation and torture.
A new wave of repressions was also reported in the operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Energoatom. According to the company, on December 8, the Russian military broke into the office of the ZNPP Social Programs Department and, in the presence of other workers, severely beat the head of the department, Alexei Trubenkov, and his deputy, Yuri Androsov. Then they were taken away in an unknown direction. "To the basement" sent the shift supervisor Konstantin Beiner, who is responsible for nuclear and radiation safety. According to TheInsider sources, such repressions at nuclear power plants occur en masse.
“My friend the head of the block shift did not sign the contract at the end of November. Sat at home for a week. Then they came and took him away. They tried. They tore his tendons. Then they let me go,” says Olga Kosharnaya.
Earlier it became known about other locations in which the Russians are holding the Ukrainian staff of the station. One of the most terrible places is the so-called "Hole" or "Pit". The occupiers set it up in the basement on the territory of the permanent deployment of the National Guard of Ukraine in military unit 3042. Before the arrival of the Russians, there were Ukrainian servicemen guarding the perimeter of the nuclear power plant. The "hole" is located about one and a half kilometers from the reactors.
The released people say that one of the departments of the FSB is engaged in detentions and torture. Employees are beaten, their palms are shot, they are tortured with electric current. According to the Wall Street Journal , detainees spend anywhere from a few days to several months in The Hole. It is known about at least one deceased, ZNPP diver Andrey Goncharuk. 49-year-old nuclear power plant employee Vladimir Zhavoronok spent 53 days in a cell overflowing with prisoners. According to him, there were so many prisoners that the room was nicknamed "Tetris" – it took a long time to choose a position in order to get on the floor and sleep. During the interrogation, the occupiers tore out Zhavoronka's nail, beat him, doused him with water, attached electrodes to his ears, demanding to tell him about the informers of the SBU and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Sergei Shvets, an employee of the energy repair unit, was shot in his own apartment, but the doctors managed to save him. He, like Volodymyr Zhavoronok, was able to get to the territory controlled by Ukraine. According to Kosharnaya, the Russians called the relatives of some of the detainees and demanded a ransom for them:
“I know two cases from my sources. 100,000 hryvnias (about $2,700) were paid for one employee of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, and $5,000 for another, but he is still in prison.”
Interrogations and more interrogations
The Ukrainian operator Energoatom organized a special call center for advisory assistance for employees who ended up in the temporarily occupied territories or managed to leave there. However, people do not receive professional and systemic assistance. On the contrary, the employees of Energoatom arrange an interrogation on a polygraph for workers who have escaped from Energodar. At the same time, all those who returned from the ZNPP are already thoroughly interrogated by the SBU, including with the help of the same lie detector. Deprivation of liberty, threats, torture and lack of psychological assistance lead to acute stress, nervous breakdowns and severe depression among the station staff, notes Kosharnaya:
“My friend, the head of the department from the ZNPP, after the experience, became completely inadequate. I gently and without insisting advised him to contact a psychotherapist. He just exploded from it. But then he turned around anyway. Now taking a course. His cellmates saved him from suicide. He couldn't stand the torture and pain."
If the kidnappings of top managers and senior staff cause resonance, then, according to Olga Kosharnaya, no one is fighting for ordinary personnel. “On the Ukrainian media, I spoke about the need for international humanitarian organizations to have access to Energodar. So far, there are no results from my appeals,” Kosharnaya complains.
However, many employees who managed to leave are still ready to return to the Zaporozhye NPP after its de-occupation. Igor Murashov, after being released from Russian captivity, was appointed by Energoatom as the chief engineer of ZNPP. Now he works from Kyiv – as well as another new appointee of Energoatom, the acting general director of the Zaporozhye NPP, Dmitry Verbitsky.
At the same time, the fate of some employees of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which the Russians took control of in March and left in April, is still unknown. Then more than 160 national guards guarding the station were captured. According to Kosharnaya, they were taken to Russian-controlled territories. Only a few were exchanged.
nuclear power plant at minimum
Now the Russians at ZNPP are experiencing an acute shortage of employees, and this may explain the new wave of repression against Ukrainian personnel who are being forced to join the EO ZNPP. Several sources told The Insider that Ukrainian workers are critically needed by the occupying authorities to run the station. Despite the "black lists", many Ukrainians managed to leave, and those who did not sign contracts, the Russians are not allowed to enter the nuclear power plant, their passes were blocked.
The Russian side denies personnel problems. At the end of November, adviser to the director of Rosenergoatom, Renat Karchaa, stated that a team of NPP employees who agreed to work under the control of the Russians had been successfully formed at the plant. He called reports of pressure on nuclear scientists and downplaying the number of employees "provocations of the Ukrainian regime."
How many people signed a contract with the Russian organization is unknown, just as there is no exact number of employees remaining at the station. Before the occupation, about 11 thousand people worked there. In early autumn, there were reports that 6,800 remained, and in October-November, according to Olga Kosharnaya, there were about 3,000 employees. Yury Chernichuk, appointed by the Russians as director of the nuclear power plant, said that about 50% of all employees left, and the remaining workers of the nuclear power plant work in three shifts of 8 hours. Although each power unit has five full-time shifts.
“Yuri Chernichuk was the chief engineer under director Murashov, now he has replaced Oleg Romanenko, the former chief engineer of the Russian Balakovo NPP, at the ZNPP,” Kosharnaya noted. – Chernichuk signed a contract with the Moscow organization. He explained to the employees that a contract made under duress is void. Its task is to keep ZNPP in working and safe condition. And when the Armed Forces of Ukraine vacate the station, he will be held accountable for his actions under Ukrainian law.”
Now four out of six ZNPP reactors are operating in cold shutdown mode, that is, they generate energy only for the internal needs of the plant. The remaining two blocks are in a state of hot shutdown, they do not supply electricity, but provide heat to Energodar. According to Kosharnaya, the invaders abandoned the idea of reconnecting the nuclear power plant to the Russian energy system. And they are unlikely to use the station to supply electricity to the energy system of Ukraine, to which it is connected. Most likely, the Russians are simply not able to fully operate the nuclear power plant, and therefore they will use it only for blackmail, the expert believes.
Modernization against Rosatom
In recent years, Ukraine has impressively modernized its power units. This is the main reason why the employees of Rosatom are in such need of the Ukrainian personnel of ZNPP. The Zaporozhye NPP uses VVER-1000 reactors, the same type as those used at the Russian Kalinin, Balakovo and Rostov nuclear power plants. Therefore, it was from there that Rosatom specialists were sent to the Zaporizhzhya NPP. The main characteristics of these reactors are very close, says Andrey Ozharovsky, but different electronics make the control of the power unit difficult even for those who have previously worked with this type of reactor.
First of all, automatic process control systems (APCS) were modernized at the Zaporozhye NPP, explains Olga Kosharnaya. These are complex high-tech complexes of technical and software controls. Now ZNPP uses the equipment of the Severodonetsk NPO Impulse, the Kirovograd Research and Production Enterprise Radiy, and the joint venture Westron in Kharkov with Westinghouse. Automatic process control systems are the weakest point of Rosatom, Ozharovsky believes:
“It is necessary to control not one parameter, but thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands. What happens when the operator controls only a dozen parameters, we saw the example of Chernobyl. According to the instruments, everything is fine, but in reality the reactor explodes. Of course, this is not 1986. Electronics is well developed. And it is no secret that in the West it is better developed than in Russia.”
Block control panels were completely replaced at ZNPP, where all elements of a single system, control devices, automation, communication systems, computer control systems, as well as operator workplaces are located. “If the entire block shield is replaced, then Rosatom may not even understand where which indicators are and how to activate this or that control system,” explains Ozharovsky.
According to the expert, protection and control systems, software and hardware complexes for turbine control and other solutions have been modernized at ZNPP power units at different times. All these systems are "piece" developments, they are designed for a specific nuclear power plant. Ozharovsky claims that now Russians are looking everywhere for people who could previously work at the ZNPP:
“They may have data that will make it easier for the Russians to manage the reactors at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Those who know the properties of the core, the response of the reactor to the same actions. Proper management is critical to safety. Everyone knows that nuclear power is only safe if done right. And in order to do everything right, you need to thoroughly know the properties of the reactor, electronics and nuclear fuel.”
Fuel at the Zaporozhye NPP was also replaced from Russian to American, by Westinghouse. This process took four years. Kosharnaya doubts that the Russians know the properties of the fuel:
“The active zone [of the reactor] is calculated every time. It is necessary to know the technical characteristics and behavior of the hydraulic, thermodynamic, etc. Westinghouse fuel. I am sure that Rosatom will still receive criminal prosecution from the Americans for the theft of know-how under American law, the theft of documents on this fuel.”
According to Kosharnaya, Rosatom plans to bring licensed specialists from Russia to one block. “And they will stand behind our operators at the block control room, learn from them,” the expert explains.
Rosatom "great-granddaughter"
The company with which Zaporizhzhya NPP employees are forced to conclude contracts is called the Operating Organization of Zaporizhzhya NPP (EO ZNPP), it was created by a special Putin decree. Formally, it has nothing to do with Rosatom, the Russian nuclear giant does not want to fall under sanctions. Also, two companies were created to manage Zaporizhzhya NPP: a non-public joint-stock company EO ZNPP with an authorized capital of 2 billion rubles, and FSUE Zaporozhye NPP with an authorized capital of only 500 thousand rubles – this is the minimum possible amount of authorized capital under Art. 12 of the Federal Law "On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises".
There is no mention of the operating organization in the lists of affiliated persons, although all FSUEs, as a rule, indicate on their websites that they are enterprises of the State Corporation Rosatom. A streamlined wording is used, according to which the new company "enjoys the support of Rosenergoatom" – Rosatom's fuel division. Nevertheless, it is Rosatom that directly manages the plant: the only founder of ZNPP EA is Rosenergoatom, it owns 100% of the shares of the operating organization. The parent company of Rosenergoatom is JSC Atomenergoprom, which in turn belongs to Rosatom, as even stated on the official website . EO ZNPP was registered on October 3, that is, two days before the signing of an official decree by Vladimir Putin on the acceptance of ZNPP facilities into federal ownership.
Unsuccessful legalization of nuclear power plants
The Russians appointed Yury Chernichuk, who had previously been the chief engineer of Zaporozhye NPP, to the post of head of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. After that, in early December, the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ukraine deprived Chernichuk of his permission to carry out organizational and administrative functions at the plant. Thus, not a single manager with a Ukrainian license remained at the NPP itself. It is impossible to operate it in such conditions according to the laws of Ukraine.
From the point of view of Russian legislation, ZNPP is also outside the regulatory zone: the rules of law in Russia do not provide for the seizure of nuclear power plants, there is no regulation for the nationalization of foreign nuclear facilities, and the issue of connecting nuclear power plants was not discussed with the Russian parliament.
Putin's Decree No. 711 , signed on October 5 in an attempt to legalize the nuclear power plant, provides for the entry of the plant into Russian ownership and allows the work of plant personnel under existing Ukrainian licenses. This is a unique situation when Russia operates a nuclear power plant on the basis of permits issued by a foreign state, says Andrey Ozharovsky, a nuclear physicist and an expert in the field of radioactive waste management of the Russian Social and Ecological Union. He notes that Ukraine can revoke licenses at any time, and in this case, the nuclear power plant will be under the control of Russia, the personnel of which works without permits at all.
Putin's decree states that Ukrainian licenses will continue to be valid "until the issuance of permits in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation." But in addition to personal licenses, Russian legislation requires licensing of the nuclear power plant itself. A license is required for each power unit, for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel and other facilities on the territory of the plant. Olga Kosharnaya explains that personal licenses are much easier to obtain – they pass an exam in nuclear and radiation safety. It is much more difficult to get a license to operate, she says:
“It requires the preparation of many documents. It is necessary to prepare a safety analysis response from the NPP operator. This takes time. "Rostekhnadzor" should conduct a state expertise on nuclear and radiation safety. There is also a state expertise on fire safety, environmental impact, and construction expertise. It can't be done in a year. That is why Putinai’s decree specifies such deadlines, until January 1, 2028.”
Andrey Ozharovsky believes that under Russian law it is almost impossible to obtain Russian licenses for the operation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, primarily due to the presence of foreign equipment:
“It is necessary to go through the entire process of obtaining a license. It is issued by Rostekhnadzor. It is necessary to develop license justification materials, and this is not easy, because some of the equipment at ZNPP is not familiar to Rosatom.
Moreover, Rosatom specialists themselves have repeatedly argued that the transfer of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants to American nuclear fuel increases the risk of an accident. According to this logic, the Zaporozhye station simply does not meet Russian safety requirements, and its operation cannot be allowed.
Waiting for a "goodwill gesture"
The difficulties experienced by Russian specialists with the management of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the lack of Ukrainian personnel, the inability to establish electricity transmission in the conditions of hostilities and the difficulties with legalization in Russia – all this suggests the possibility of another “goodwill gesture” from the Russian military. The head of the Ukrainian Energoatom Petr Kotin also spoke about the likely preparation of Russia for this:
"It's, you know, the impression that they're packing their bags and that they're stealing everything they can find."
“Kiriyenko will merge the nuclear power plant,” write anonymous Telegram channels, including pro-war topics. It is not difficult to see how the topic is “accelerated” with the retreat of the Russian military and the possible transfer of the Zaporizhzhya NPP to Ukrainians or a third party. Some posts have been removed since posting.
Officials from Rosatom, who are afraid to include the plant in their assets, may be interested in the exit scenario, because this greatly increases the risk of imposing sanctions against the nuclear sector, which means that they jeopardize their personal well-being and the ability to build nuclear power plants abroad for irrevocable government loans .
The White House stated that they do not yet see signs of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the ZNPP territory. The same opinion is shared by some Russian experts. “Wishful thinking,” one energy expert told The Insider. Olga Kosharnaya also does not agree that Rosatom is afraid of sanctions and is preparing a retreat from ZNPP. Energy expert Konstantin Batozsky believes the Russians won't leave anytime soon. According to him, the occupiers need the station as a military foothold, from where they can shell Nikopol and Krivoy Rog.
At the same time, the Kremlin opposes the “demilitarization” of the station territory, which implies the withdrawal of heavy equipment beyond the perimeter. The Russian authorities approve of the creation of a security zone around the nuclear power plant, apparently in the hope that this term will be easier to circumvent in terms of the deployment of weapons. True, according to the Kremlin representatives, there were no such weapons on the territory of the ZNPP.
However, in the West, the security zone and demilitarization mean roughly the same thing. IAEA director Rafael Grossi has said several times that an agreement could be concluded soon, and in any case it implies the withdrawal of heavy weapons. On December 13, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a conference on financial support for Ukraine that “we managed to achieve the withdrawal of heavy and light weapons from the ZNPP territory.” Almost immediately, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov reacted to this.
“Russia's obligation is not to deploy offensive weapons and strike forces there. And the protection, of course, must be comprehensive for the safety of the station, ” commented the head of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev on the situation around the ZNPP. He did not specify whether this guard would be Russian, Ukrainian, or whether the parties would find a third option. However, even if they are Russians, they will not be able to resist the Armed Forces of Ukraine without heavy weapons. Therefore, the issue of preserving military equipment near the ZNPP is so important for Russia.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in early December that there was no talk of withdrawing the station from Russian control. However, the occupiers said about abandoned Kherson: “Russia is here forever.” Already, however, only on paper. It cannot be ruled out that the same will happen with the Zaporozhye NPP. What happened during the retreat of the Russians from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant may also be repeated : the invaders destroyed the premises and damaged the unique foreign equipment in the Ecocenter enterprise. Meanwhile, representatives of the nuclear community of Ukraine urge, first of all, to think not about devices, but about how to save the lives of kidnapped ZNPP employees and avoid a nuclear catastrophe at a poorly managed plant.
The material was prepared with the participation of Nikolai Marchenko, Bivol