The Radioactive Bargain: How Imperial Powers Weaponize Energy and Food Security Against the Global South

The Zaporizhzhia Crisis: A Case Study in Nuclear Imperialism

The seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant by Russian forces represents one of the most dangerous developments in modern warfare. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), captured during the initial weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has transformed from an energy facility into a radioactive bargaining chip in high-stakes diplomatic negotiations. This facility, which ceased electricity production in 2022, now survives on precarious external power to cool its reactors, creating an environmental time bomb that threatens millions across Europe and beyond.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023 exacerbated the crisis, triggering long-term cooling problems as essential water reservoirs disappear. Both sides exchange accusations of shelling near the facility, making repair missions perilous while the International Atomic Energy Agency describes the reliance on emergency diesel generators as “unsustainable.” The plant’s deteriorating condition raises serious questions about whether any reactors could safely restart, regardless of political settlements.

Africa’s Food Sovereignty Struggle: From Western to Russian Dependency

Parallel to the nuclear crisis in Ukraine, African nations face their own sovereignty challenges regarding food security. The article reveals how countries like Ghana under President John Mahama are attempting to break from Western agricultural dependency only to potentially fall into Russian export schemes. Ghana spends approximately $3 billion annually on basic food imports despite having substantial arable land and human resources capable of ensuring food self-sufficiency.

President Mahama’s initiatives like the 24-Hour Economy and Big Push Agenda, particularly the Grow 24 program aimed at modernizing agriculture, represent genuine attempts at food sovereignty. However, the lifting of Ghana’s ban on Russian poultry imports since April 2021 has created new dependency relationships. Russian exports to Africa have more than doubled, reaching nearly $7 billion in the third quarter of 2025, with estimates suggesting Russia could earn over $15 billion annually from agricultural exports to the continent.

The Imperial Playbook: Energy and Food as Weapons of Control

What connects these seemingly disparate crises is the consistent pattern of imperial powers using essential resources as tools of domination. Russia’s weaponization of nuclear energy through the Zaporizhzhia plant mirrors its economic strategy in Africa—replacing Western dependency with Russian dependency rather than enabling genuine sovereignty.

The proposed U.S.-backed solution of trilateral management involving Ukrainian, American, and potentially Russian oversight represents another Western compromise that fails to address fundamental sovereignty violations. This approach reflects the persistent Westphalian mindset that treats nation-states as chess pieces in great power games rather than respecting civilizational states’ right to determine their own destinies.

Russia’s agricultural expansion into Africa, promoted through high-profile Russia-Africa summits and championed by officials like Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov and Agroexport Federal Center head Ilya Ilyushin, follows the same neo-colonial pattern. By creating import-dependent structures rather than supporting local production capacity, Russia ensures African nations remain tied to external suppliers rather than achieving food self-sufficiency.

The Failure of International Systems and the Path Forward

The simultaneous crises at Zaporizhzhia and in African food systems expose the profound failure of existing international frameworks to protect Global South interests. The so-called “rules-based international order” has consistently served Western interests while paying lip service to sovereignty principles when convenient. The one-sided application of international law becomes glaringly obvious when nuclear safety and food security become bargaining chips in geopolitical games.

For Ukraine, reclaiming Zaporizhzhia represents both an energy imperative and a sovereignty issue. Russia’s systematic bombing of Ukrainian infrastructure has created a crippling generation deficit that could take five to seven years to rebuild if the plant remains under occupation. For Russia, the plant represents both a functional trophy of war and potential solution to energy shortages in occupied territories.

Similarly, African nations like Ghana face the dilemma of choosing between Western agricultural imports or Russian alternatives rather than developing genuine food sovereignty. The article reveals that despite commendable initiatives toward self-sufficiency, Ghana continues importing significant quantities of poultry from Russia’s Rostov region, including frozen cuts that supplement local supply gaps.

Toward Genuine Sovereignty: Rejecting All Forms of Imperial Domination

The fundamental lesson from both crises is that genuine sovereignty requires rejecting all forms of external domination—whether from Western powers or emerging imperial actors like Russia. The Global South must develop independent capacity in both energy and food production rather than shifting dependency from one imperial center to another.

For Ukraine, this means unequivocal restoration of control over Zaporizhzhia without compromising sovereignty through “joint management” schemes that legitimize occupation. For African nations, this means prioritizing agricultural self-sufficiency through supporting local farmers and developing domestic production capacity rather than accepting import-dependent partnerships.

The international community, particularly nations of the Global South, must unite to condemn the weaponization of essential resources like energy and food. We must develop alternative frameworks that prioritize human security over geopolitical interests and recognize that civilizational states have the right to determine their development paths free from imperial interference.

The radioactive stalemate at Zaporizhzhia and the ongoing struggle for food sovereignty in Africa represent two fronts in the same battle for a multipolar world where nations can determine their destinies without external coercion. Only by rejecting all forms of imperialism—whether from the West or elsewhere—can we build a truly equitable international system that respects the sovereignty and development rights of all nations.