On 29 April, we held an important meeting with the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Korniienko; MPs Yevheniia Kravchuk and Mykyta Poturaiev; and Dmytro Ponomarenko, Ambassador-at-Large for prisoners of war, civilians deprived of personal liberty, and missing persons.

We discussed concrete steps: drafting a separate Verkhovna Rada resolution on the release and support of illegally imprisoned nuclear workers, and identifying ways to bring them home. We support this initiative. Recognising nuclear power workers as a distinct category of people who need release and protection should be a major step towards consolidating Ukraine's official position and strengthening international advocacy.

Why this matters beyond Ukraine

Thirty-seven employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and residents of Enerhodar are being held in illegal detention on politically motivated charges. They include people who did not abandon their posts under threat of occupation and continued to oversee the plant's nuclear reactors. They hold unique knowledge and skills essential to the safe operation of Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Saving their lives and bringing them home must be a priority not only for Ukraine, but for everyone committed to nuclear safety.

We continue to join forces with Ukrainian authorities and diplomats to bring the release of each of them closer.