US and Russia Raise Prospect of Bitcoin Mining at Disputed Ukrainian Nuclear Plant
In a development that ties high-stakes geopolitics to the global crypto economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin
prativad 
In a development that ties high-stakes geopolitics to the global crypto economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States has signaled interest in using electricity from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to support Bitcoin mining as part of broader negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Putin told Russian business leaders that Washington and Moscow have held talks on the joint management of the Zaporizhzhia facility, which has been under Russian control since 2022. According to reports, the United States has expressed interest in leveraging the plant’s power output for cryptocurrency mining operations.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power site, supplied about 20 percent of Ukraine’s electricity before the full-scale invasion, but its six reactors have been in cold shutdown since 2022 and are not currently producing power for the grid.
Russian officials say these discussions are tied to ongoing peace negotiations and include ideas for using the nuclear site’s electricity both for mining Bitcoin and potentially restoring some electricity supply to Ukraine. However, details remain limited, and there is no independent confirmation from the U.S. government.
Reports also note that at least some of these proposals are framed through Russian state media, and Ukraine has not endorsed any plan that sidelines Kyiv’s role in managing the plant. The future of the nuclear power station continues to be a contentious point in peace talks.
If realized, the idea would represent a rare intersection of energy policy, international diplomacy, and the expanding influence of cryptocurrency infrastructure. But at this stage it remains an emerging concept discussed in diplomatic back channels rather than a concrete agreement.
