Overview

• Satellite data indicates that work between May 11–22 added 15 pylons and over 5km of line east of Topolyne, bringing total installation to 90km as of May 23.
• The Black Sea Regional Branch Dispatch office of Russia’s occupiers’ JSC SO UES oversees the grid extension into occupied Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts.
• Rosatom envisions using the dedicated feed to bring at least one reactor online initially, with plans to eventually power all six units.
• Experts caution that damaged cooling systems from the 2023 Kakhovka dam breach and the exodus of skilled staff heighten the risk of a nuclear incident.
• IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has pressed for unrestricted access for safety reviews and Ukraine has lodged formal protests over the operation’s legality.