Europe's Largest Nuclear Plant Is Under Occupation. Congress Can Act.
Europe's largest nuclear power plant is occupied by a foreign military. Its operators have been replaced. Its safety systems are under strain. And the people responsible for putting it in danger are facing no consequences whatsoever.
That is the reality at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — and it has been since Russian forces seized the facility in the opening days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
H.R. 475, the Sanction Russian Nuclear Safety Violators Act of 2025, is a direct and targeted response to one of the most dangerous and underreported dimensions of Russia's war against Ukraine.
The bill authorizes sanctions against any foreign person — individual or entity — who endangers the integrity or safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The stakes could not be higher. A nuclear incident at Zaporizhzhia would not be a Ukrainian problem. It would be a European crisis — and potentially a global one. The plant sits in the heart of a continent. Its reactors do not recognize borders. And yet those who have placed it in jeopardy continue to operate without legal consequence under U.S. law.
H.R. 475 changes that. It closes a critical gap in the sanctions architecture — making clear that endangering nuclear safety is not an acceptable instrument of warfare, and that there is a price for doing so.
The bill passed through the Committee in the previous Congress. It has been reintroduced with strong momentum — and it deserves a floor vote.
Who Has Already Signed On
🔵 Rep. Gregory Meeks — D, NY-5 (Sponsor)
🔵 Rep. William Keating — D, MA-9
🔵 Rep. Joaquin Castro — D, TX-20
🔵 Rep. Jim Costa — D, CA-21
🔵 Rep. Dina Titus — D, NV-1
🔵 Rep. Steve Cohen — D, TN-9
🔵 Rep. Gabe Amo — D, RI-1
🔵 Rep. Bill Foster — D, IL-11
🔵 Rep. Marc Veasey — D, TX-33
🔵 Rep. Ami Bera — D, CA-6
🔵 Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi — D, IL-8
🔵 Rep. Mike Quigley — D, IL-5
🔵 Rep. Brendan Boyle — D, PA-2
🔵 Rep. Bradley Scott Schneider — D, IL-10
🔵 Rep. Mike Levin — D, CA-49
🔵 Rep. Lizzie Fletcher — D, TX-7
🔵 Rep. James Walkinshaw — D, VA-11
🔵 Rep. Brad Sherman — D, CA-32
And Rep. Gerald Connolly — D, VA-11 (original cosponsor; passed away May 2025)
Nineteen Members of Congress who understand that nuclear safety is not a partisan issue — it is a matter of global security.
Is Your Representative on the List?
If your Representative hasn't signed on — contact them today.
Tell them H.R. 475 matters. Tell them that a nuclear plant occupied by a foreign military, operated under duress, and shielded from accountability is not an abstraction — it is one of the most serious unresolved threats of this war. The bill has already demonstrated it can move through Committee. What it needs now is more voices, more cosponsors, and a path to the floor.
The consequences of inaction are not theoretical. They are radioactive.
Close the gap.
Photo credit: A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on June 15, 2023. © Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters