Ukraine warns of a Russian attack on nuclear power plants

Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Ukraine was forced to temporarily shut down at least one nuclear power plant because of Russian attacks in recent months. other facilities in the country are at risk.

Galushchenko told this Financial Times that Ukraine is concerned about a direct missile attack on three main nuclear power plants that generate almost 60% of the country’s electricity.

One was shut down on Aug. 26 after a substation at the plant was hit in a Russian attack, the energy minister said. Consumers did not experience any major disruptions after the attack, but Galushchenko said the number of Russian missiles flying over the three facilities increased in the following weeks.

“They have changed the routes of their drones and missiles to fly near or above the nuclear power plant,” he said, adding that there were missile sightings “every day.”

Galushchenko said Ukraine believes the August attack was calculated by Russia because the missiles used cluster munition missiles with small mines to hit the substation.

He went on to say that an attack by Moscow forces on a nuclear reactor in Ukraine would mean “the end” for Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already warned of a Russian attack on the nuclear power plant in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.

“Putin is apparently planning attacks on our nuclear power plants and infrastructure with the aim of disconnecting the plants from the power grid,” Zelensky told the global body.

He added that Moscow was using satellites to collect images of Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure.

Russia occupies Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, after carrying out its first attacks on the plant in the first weeks of the war.

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The attacks sparked concern among many people about a nuclear incident similar to Chernobyl in April 1986 and widely considered the worst nuclear disaster in history.

In addition to the public requests, Ukraine also sent a letter to the European Union’s energy chief Kadri Simson in September Politically. The letter reportedly expressed concerns that an attack on a nuclear facility would cause devastating damage to electrical infrastructure and asked for help to prevent “serious harm” to Ukrainians.