The United States has sensitive nuclear technology at Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant – the largest in Europe – and is warning Russia not to touch it, CNN writes. This is because the Zaporizhzhia plant has been under the control of Russian forces since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has been frequently disconnected from the power grid due to Russian bombings, raising fears in Europe of a nuclear accident.

On March 17, the US Department of Energy sent a letter to the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, which was obtained by CNN. In the document, Director of the Office of Nonproliferation Policy of the US Department of Energy, Andrea Ferkil, informs the CEO of Rosatom that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant “contains American nuclear technology, the data of which is controlled by the United States government.”

“The goods, software and technology are subject to US export regulations and cannot be used in a way that undermines the national security interests of the United States,” the US official warned in a letter to the Russian state-owned company.

The Zaporizhzhia station has been under the control of Russian forces since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and has been frequently disconnected from the power grid due to Russian bombings, raising fears in Europe of a nuclear accident. The facility is managed by Ukrainian personnel, but managed and controlled by Rosatom.

In this regard, the US Department of Energy warned Rosatom about the “illegality” of control over American technology by Russian citizens or Russian organizations: “Under United States law, it is illegal for unauthorized persons, including, but not limited to, Russian citizens and Russian entities, such as Rosatom and its affiliates, knowingly and intentionally access, possess, control, export, extract, transfer, copy, or process such technology or technical data without authorization by such Russian entities from the US Secretary of Energy. “.

The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration told CNN that the letter is authentic.

In another letter to the inspector general of the Department of Energy, dated October 24, 2022, Andrea Ferkil refers to the technology that the United States exported to Ukraine for use in Zaporizhzhia, and notes that the department “has no record of any current authorization for the transfer of this technology and technical given to any Russian citizen or legal entity”.

In June 2021, the US Department of Nuclear Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy publicized US support for the Zaporizhzhia NPP when it announced that the United States had “helped implement new procedures and maintenance operations at the reactor that should ultimately enhance Ukraine’s energy security.” , CNN also notes.