New Report Documents Rosatom’s Complicity in Occupation, Torture, and Nuclear Safety Breaches at Zaporizhzhia NPP

vincent5091
Sep 29
2 min read

Investigation by Truth Hounds uncovers torture, unlawful detentions, and the role of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the occupation.

On September 24, 2025, Truth Hounds released Seizing Power: Rosatom’s Complicity in Occupation, Torture, and Nuclear Safety Breaches at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, an investigation into Russia’s ongoing occupation of the city of Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The report examines developments from March 2022 to June 2025, marking the first case in history of a functioning commercial nuclear power plant being seized during armed conflict.

The report details the occupying forces’ physical and administrative control of Enerhodar and the ZNPP. It documents a network of at least 7 detention sites and the unlawful detention of 226 Enerhodar residents and ZNPP employees, most of whom were held in severely overcrowded facilities and subjected to inhuman treatment and torture. It further documents how Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, was embedded in the governance of the occupied territory and complicit in the crimes committed under occupation.

According to Truth Hounds’ report, “[t]he conduct of Russian forces and occupying authorities in Enerhodar and at the ZNPP amounts to serious breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) as war crimes and to crimes against humanity.” Furthermore, the report finds that the occupation of the ZNPP and Enerhodar presents “a uniquely dangerous convergence of systematic repression, breaches of international law, and risk of nuclear catastrophe.” Project Expedite Justice joins Truth Hounds in calling for immediate and decisive international action to seek accountability for these crimes and to prevent a nuclear disaster. Specifically, as outlined in the report:

“Criminal justice actors in relevant jurisdictions should initiate investigations and legal proceedings against individuals and entities responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and nuclear safety violations in Enerhodar and at the ZNPP.
Key stakeholders should urgently impose expanded sanctions on Rosatom and its subsidiaries, targeting the financial flows that sustain the occupation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) on-site inspection team must be granted full and unimpeded access to the Plant’s staff and all relevant areas of the ZNPP. Independent monitoring of human rights conditions in Enerhodar and any detention facilities is essential, with priority given to protecting plant personnel.
The United Nations (UN) bodies should also do more to publicly condemn the situation at the ZNPP and ensure systematic monitoring and reporting of human rights abuses, violations of international law, and risks to nuclear safety.
In any ongoing negotiations, priority should be given to restoring the ZNPP to Ukrainian control.”

This report was produced by Truth Hounds. Project Expedite Justice contributed to the external review process and supported this effort through our joint project “Restraining a Doubt Machine: Truth-telling About Atrocity Crimes in Ukraine Through Strategic Litigation and Advocacy Campaigns.” This report is the first of 5 reports under this project to counter disinformation campaigns related to the Russian Federation’s grave atrocity crime scenes, to further justice on behalf of the Ukrainian people.

The full version of the report can be found here: Seizing Power – Truth Hounds