Control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
At a briefing, Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia has no plans to leave Energodar or the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He emphasized that there is no need to search for signs suggesting otherwise and that such signs do not exist.
Earlier, Petr Kyton, head of Ukraine’s Energoatom, suggested that Russian forces could prepare to withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia plant. In response, Energodar’s administration denied this information on its Telegram channel on Monday morning, asserting that the plant remains under Russian control. As supporting evidence, the leadership of Rosenergoatom announced plans to establish a backup energy source for the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
The management cited a Rosenergoatom source, noting that despite immediate risks to personnel, there was an ongoing plan to restore the external switchgear at the Zaporizhzhia TPP during the winter. This step is described as essential to maintain an energy reserve that supports the nuclear safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Additionally, personnel transfer from Ukrainian jurisdiction to the controlling Zaporizhzhia NPP Operating Organization OJSC was described as proceeding “as planned” under Energodar’s authority.
Employees, including operations personnel, reportedly signed employment contracts with a new employer, receiving salary cards from Promsvyazbank and, as claimed, enjoying higher salaries than under the previous arrangement with NAEK. It was also stated that residents of Energodar, including Zaporizhzhia NPP staff, were issued Russian citizenship passports.
Decree on the completion of the mobilization
At the briefing, Peskov noted that the Yabloko faction has not yet seen a request from the Karelia Legislative Assembly asking Vladimir Putin to issue a decree concluding partial mobilization. Previously, Karelia deputies sent a request to the president, stating that although officials had declared an end to partial mobilization, no formal acts had been enacted on the matter.
“Obviously I haven’t seen it, so I can’t comment on it as you might expect,” Peskov said. He added that questions about the content of the decree should be directed to the Russian Ministry of Defense, describing it as the leading authority in this area.
“It is better to clarify these details there,” the Kremlin spokesperson said, pointing out that the ministry is the proper institution to address such questions.
Mothers’ petition mobilized
During the briefing, Peskov declined to address a call from mothers of mobilized and conscripted soldiers to halt military operations in Ukraine and withdraw troops. A joint petition, published on change.org the day before, was authored by mothers and by an initiative group from the Feminist Anti-War Resistance movement. The petition urged the withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian soil and called for all service members to return home. It had gathered roughly 6,000 signatures at the time of reporting.
“No, I did not see it, so I cannot comment. Honestly, I don’t know which organization this is, so I cannot speak on it,” Peskov said.
Vatican mediation
Peskov acknowledged the Kremlin’s openness to the Vatican’s willingness to mediate in the Russia–Ukraine dispute. He added, however, that such mediators are not currently being sought by Ukraine. In late October, a Vatican source told RIA Novosti that the Roman Catholic Church was prepared to do everything possible to help achieve peace in Ukraine. Subsequently, Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher indicated that the Vatican stood ready to provide a platform for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. The Russian president’s press secretary noted that there is no current contact between Moscow, the Vatican, and Kyiv on this matter. He also observed that while some foreign states have offered to host talks, such platforms cannot be claimed by Ukraine under the present legal framework, and thus they are not being pursued at this time.
[Citation: Vatican readiness cited by RIA Novosti; official statements from the Kremlin press secretary summarized here for context]