Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has profoundly altered the political and strategic environment in which the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom operates. Not only has the war intensified scrutiny of the corporation’s role in nuclear safety, energy security, and international governance, but it has also highlighted the extent to which Rosatom functions today at the intersection of technology, state policy, and geopolitical influence.

In this report, we at Bellona continue to analyze Rosatom during wartime, focusing on developments and trends observed in 2025. The report proceeds from a central question: how has Rosatom’s role evolved under conditions of prolonged war, geopolitical fragmentation, and strategic confrontation—and what are the implications of that evolution for international security, nuclear governance, and energy politics?

We argue that Rosatom can no longer be understood solely through the traditional framework of a civilian nuclear operator or global technology supplier. Rather, it has increasingly emerged as a multifunctional state instrument—combining industrial, strategic, and political roles both within Russia and internationally.

Particular attention is devoted to the corporation’s involvement in and around Ukraine, especially the unprecedented case of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The continued militarization of the environment surrounding Europe’s largest nuclear facility raises questions that extend beyond the immediate conflict, touching on the resilience of international nuclear governance, the limits of existing legal and institutional frameworks, and the risks created when civilian nuclear infrastructure becomes entangled in armed confrontation.

Several broader conclusions emerge from the report:

• Rosatom’s wartime role has deepened institutionally and politically, reinforcing its function not only as a nuclear corporation, but as a strategic component of Russian state policy;
• The occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP represents a challenge to established assumptions in nuclear governance, exposing gaps in international mechanisms designed to respond to conflict involving nuclear infrastructure;
• Despite sanctions pressure and geopolitical disruption, Rosatom has maintained significant external reach, particularly through long-term projects in the Global South and through forms of nuclear diplomacy that remain politically resilient;
• Within Russia, the corporation continues expanding into sectors linked to dual-use infrastructure, Arctic development, logistics, and strategic technologies, underscoring its growing role beyond the nuclear sector narrowly defined;
• These developments have implications extending well beyond Russia, raising broader questions about energy dependence, sanctions policy, non-proliferation, and the future of international institutions confronted with new security realities.

We have based this report on analysis of open sources, regulatory and corporate materials, media investigations, and expert assessments. Its purpose is not only to document developments, but to identify patterns and structural trends shaping Rosatom’s transformation in wartime conditions.

With this work, we hope to reach policymakers, analysts, regulators, researchers, and practitioners working on nuclear governance, sanctions, security policy, and international energy issues. At the same time, the report seeks to contribute to a wider debate about how strategic state corporations operate in periods of war and geopolitical instability—and how international policy frameworks may need to adapt in response.

Ultimately, this study is about more than Rosatom itself. It is about the changing relationship between nuclear technology, state power, and conflict. Understanding that relationship is increasingly essential for assessing not only Russia’s nuclear sector, but also the emerging risks and political realities shaping the global nuclear landscape.

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