Belarus Proposes New Nuclear Plant to Power Russian-Controlled Ukrainian Territories

Lukashenko Unveils Nuclear Plant Plan for Occupied Ukrainian Regions

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday, September 26, 2025, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko put forward a proposal to construct a new nuclear power plant in eastern Belarus. The primary objective of this proposed facility would be to provide electricity to the Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine.

The specific Ukrainian regions mentioned by Lukashenko as potential recipients of this energy supply include Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk. President Putin reportedly offered public support for the initiative, remarking that 'financing is not an issue at all' if there is a consumer willing to pay the required tariff.

Strategic Location and Energy Needs

The proposed location for the new nuclear power plant is in eastern Belarus, with considerations to also supply electricity to Russia's Bryansk region. Lukashenko indicated that the plant could be used 'if needed' to supply the aforementioned Ukrainian territories. This move underscores the deepening energy cooperation and political alignment between Minsk and Moscow, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Context and Previous Nuclear Projects

This proposal follows the construction of Belarus's first nuclear power plant, the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant, which was built by the Russian state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom. The Astravets plant, financed by a $10 billion loan from Moscow, saw its first power unit commissioned in November 2020 and its second in 2023. Lukashenko, a long-standing ally of Putin, has previously allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and authorized the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear missiles in Belarus.

Opposition Concerns

The proposal has drawn strong criticism from the Belarusian opposition. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of Belarus's opposition, stated that these plans put 'all of Europe at risk'. She further asserted that by proposing this project, Lukashenko 'once again proves he is complicit in Russian aggression' and is 'trading Belarusian sovereignty for power and profits from war crimes'.