Russians sentence Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant worker to 18 years in prison for alleged terrorism
A Russian court has sentenced Serhii Potynh, a Ukrainian national and employee of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), to 18 years in prison and fined him RUB 700,000 (about US$8,315). Potynh is accused of planning a terrorist attack, participating in a terrorist group, and illegal possession of explosives.
Source: Radio Liberty, citing the Russian Prosecutor's Office
Details: Potynh worked as a safety engineer at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. After Russia occupied it, he continued living in the city of Enerhodar and working at the plant. He was abducted by Russian security forces on 23 June 2023.
Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear energy company of Ukraine, said Potynh was regularly subjected to torture and physical abuse, and that after each round of torture he would be sent to hospital to prevent him from dying.
Background:
- In early March, 56-year-old Nataliia Shulha, a resident of Enerhodar employed at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Russian court. According to the Russian Prosecutor's Office, she was convicted of preparing an act of sabotage.
- Russian forces occupied the city of Enerhodar and the nearby Zaporizhzhia NPP in early March 2022. The plant’s territory is subject to regular attacks, which Russia blames on Ukraine. Kyiv emphasises that the Russians are the ones attacking the plant, exposing Europe to a new nuclear threat.
- The Trump administration has expressed a special interest in discussions concerning the fate of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, stating: "American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure."
- Amid ongoing peace negotiations regarding the war with Russia, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Moscow "does not consider it possible" to transfer control of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukraine or any other country.
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