Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Wednesday claiming ownership of the beleaguered Zaporizhzhia power plant, even as the director of Ukraine’s nuclear power company said he would assume operations of the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear facility. The announcement came hours after Putin signed laws annexing the Zaporizhzhia region. Earlier in the day, Energoatom chief Petro Kotin said he would be running the Russian-held plant from the capital, Kyiv. The company called Putin’s decree, “worthless” and “absurd.”

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