The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been without electricity for four weeks. Located in the south-east of the country and occupied by Russian forces since 2022, it is Ukraine’s main nuclear facility and the largest electricity producer in Europe. This marks the longest blackout since the start of the war.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, confirmed that repair work has begun on damaged external power lines, made possible by the establishment of limited local ceasefire zones. Restoring electricity is vital for nuclear safety and protection, on which the well-being of civilians depends. Residents have endured the devastating effects of the blackout, with homes, schools and hospitals forced to rely on emergency generators, posing serious health risks and causing prolonged interruptions to essential services.
In August 2025, an activist from the Yellow Ribbon movement — a non-violent civil resistance group formed in the Russian-occupied territories after the 2022 invasion — told reporters: "It seems that people are deliberately being kept in a state of survival so that they are busy queuing for water and not thinking about politics, resistance, or protests." When water is available, it often runs yellow and foul-smelling from the taps, forcing those who can afford it to buy bottled water at prices that rise daily.
According to the IAEA, last September the plant lost its connection to the only remaining power line, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators for more than 20 days. Both sides have traded accusations over the cause of the blackout: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed that Russia had intentionally cut the power supply to test reconnection to the Russian grid, while Moscow blamed Ukrainian shelling.
Meanwhile, the local community continues to live under the constant threat of a nuclear accident, caught between blackouts, water shortages and the fear that a new attack or malfunction could have catastrophic consequences.
To read more, please visit:
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/18/europe/zaporizhzhia-ukraine-power-iaea-intl
https://unseen-force.com/non-violent-resistance/yellow-ribbon/
