A new Russian military facility could be taking shape on the grounds of the destroyed Azovstal steel plant in Russian-occupied Mariupol, and Russians plan to power it via a transmission line from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation.
Andriushchenko said Russian authorities intend to run an electricity line from the Zaporizhzhia plant to feed Azovstal’s Substation No. 7. Documentation he obtained refers to the reconstruction of two 110 kV transmission lines, one of which would be routed to the plant, which was heavily damaged during Russia’s assault on the city.
In his post Andriushchenko writes that, according to the documents in his possession, the powerline will include 18 transmission towers over 26.68 kilometers. The work is to be carried out under an order issued by the Russian administration - the DPR “Ministry of Construction” Order No. 175-od dated August 6, 2025. The contractor is listed as LLC “Kashpin.” Andriushchenko noted the schematic brings the line to the right bank of the Kalmius River, with no work shown inside the plant’s grounds - a detail he said suggests plans for a military facility and efforts to keep it secret.
“All other infrastructure plans have been classified. Which directly indicates a plan to turn the Azovstal territory into anything but a civilian site,” Andriushchenko wrote.
He also raised alarms that the line would draw from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. He said it connects via a trunk line laid from Enerhodar to Volnovakha and Telmanovo, after which electricity from the seized plant would be sent into Russia.
“What we’ve been talking about for more than a year is becoming reality. Under the demonstrative silence of the IAEA and Energoatom,” the post says.
Andriushchenko published fragments of the documentation underlying plans to restore power to workshops on the Azovstal grounds. The materials include a notional route map for the power line and specifications for tower and foundation sizes, showing a branch from the 380 kV substation “Zarya” that does not cross the Kalmius.
He also shared three pages from a planning project for reconstruction of the plant’s territory and substations, identifying the company slated to perform the work and some line details.
On September 6, Andriushchenko said Russian authorities are rushing to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to Russia’s power grid before the heating season to supply warmth to Donetsk and other settlements that could be left without heat following the destruction of the Zuhres thermal power plant.
In late August, he warned of a potential environmental disaster in Donbas after Russian forces destroyed the Pavlivske reservoir.
