Russia’s Rosatom has become a broader instrument of state influence while helping administer the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to reports by Bellona and the Ukrainian investigative group Truth Hounds. Their findings focus on the corporation’s presence at the facility and its alleged cooperation with Russian security agencies.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the findings on Sunday, October 18. Truth Hounds said plant workers faced interrogations, threats and restrictions on leaving Enerhodar as pressure mounted on them to accept Russian citizenship and sign Rosatom contracts.

Investigators documented 292 cases of unlawful detention or torture involving local residents, including 87 plant employees. Ukraine’s Energoatom said 14 staff members remain in captivity. Only slightly more than 2,000 workers had signed agreements with the Russian operator by the end of 2025, while more than 4,000 had left for Ukrainian-controlled territory after the occupation began.

Britain and the United States have imposed measures targeting Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev and some affiliated entities, but the European Union has not adopted bloc-wide sanctions against the corporation. Experts cited continuing reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, enriched uranium and specialized components as a major obstacle to a rapid break with Rosatom.