Belarus proposes new nuclear plant to supply energy to Russian-occupied Ukraine

Published on 26/09/2025 - 18:48 GMT+2

Belarus unveiled a connection connected Friday to build a 2nd atomic powerfulness works successful nan state tin of supplying power to nan regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.

President Aliaksandr Lukashenka raised nan plans during a gathering astatine nan Kremlin pinch President Vladimir Putin, who appeared to publically support nan idea.

Lukashenka said nan works could beryllium utilized if needed to proviso areas controlled by Russia successful nan Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Russia announced nan annexation of nan 4 regions successful September 2022, referring to them arsenic caller territories contempt only occupying portion of them.

That announcement has not been recognised by immoderate of nan world community, pinch nan objection of North Korea, and nether Ukrainian rule they are referred to arsenic temporarily occupied territories.

Belarus opened its first atomic powerfulness works in Astravets successful 2020 amid protests and interest successful neighbouring Lithuania, wherever location was guidance to nan plant’s location, conscionable 40 kilometres distant from nan superior Vilnius.

The Astravets works was built by nan Russian authorities atomic power corporation, Rosatom, pinch a $10 cardinal (€8.5 billion) indebtedness provided by Moscow.

Putin did not specify astatine Friday's gathering whether Russia would supply financial backing for nan 2nd works projected by Lukashenka.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of Belarus' opposition, slammed nan proposal, saying it "all of Europe astatine risk."

"By proposing that Putin build a 2nd atomic powerfulness works successful Belarus to proviso energy to occupied territories successful Ukraine, Lukashenka erstwhile again proves he is complicit successful Russian aggression. He is trading Belarusian sovereignty for powerfulness and profits from warfare crimes," she said.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for complete 3 decades, is a close state of nan Kremlin.

He allowed Russia to usage Belarusian territory arsenic a staging crushed for Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine successful February 2022 and later authorised Russian tactical atomic missiles to beryllium deployed successful his country.