Is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s longest blackout a scheme for Russia to siphon off its power?

For more than a week now — beginning September 23 — the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has remained disconnected from Ukraine’s national power grid. For more than four months, the plant has relied on a single external power line, whereas before 2022 it had ten. Map based on Bellona’s 2024 report “Potential Restart of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Major technical issues remain unresolved: restoring water supplies, reloading nuclear fuel, and expanding transmission lines to carry power from the plant. Under no circumstances should the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant be reconnected to the Russian grid or restarted.