Zaporozhye Authorities Believe Sanctions Against ZNPP Confirm It Is Russia-Owned

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - The introduction of US sanctions against the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) suggests that the NPP has been recognized by the West as being part of Russia, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye regional administration, said.

The US targeted the Russian operator of the Zaporozhye NPP with sanctions on the first anniversary of the special military operation in Ukraine. The sanctions also target Oleg Romanenko, the general director of the Joint Stock Company Operating Organization of Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

"The introduction of sanctions against the NPP confirms several points at once. First, the West clearly understood that it would not work to capture the NPP. Second, they recognize that the Zaporozhye NPP is an enterprise owned by the Russian Federation," Rogov said, commenting on the new sanctions.

He added that if Western countries considered the ZNPP as belonging to Kiev, then no sanctions would have been imposed.

Located on the left bank of the Dnepr River, the ZNPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe by number of units and output. It went under the control of Russian forces in early March 2022 and has since been repeatedly shelled by Ukrainian troops, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident.

In September, Vladimir Rogov told Sputnik that Kiev had unilaterally stopped accepting electricity from the Zaporozhye NPP and was deliberately trying to put the NPP out of operation by creating problems for the plant.