Ukraine Condemns Russian Strikes on Power Substations Vital to Nuclear Safety

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called deliberate Russian attacks on substations crucial for supplying external power to the country’s nuclear power plants. In a statement issued late Friday, the ministry accused Moscow of targeting civilian energy facilities, warning that such actions endanger the safe operation of nuclear installations.

“These deliberate strikes on civilian energy infrastructure bear the hallmarks of nuclear terrorism and violate international humanitarian law,” the ministry stated. The condemnation followed a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirmed recent military activity leading to damage at critical substations linked to nuclear safety in Ukraine.

According to the IAEA, incidents near the South Ukraine and Khmelnitskyi nuclear plants resulted in both facilities losing access to external power lines. The Rivne nuclear station also had to reduce output from two of its four reactors due to similar disruptions. The agency did not specify which side was responsible for the attacks but emphasized the growing risks to nuclear safety amid ongoing hostilities.

Ukraine and Russia have frequently exchanged accusations over military actions jeopardizing the country’s four operational nuclear plants, particularly the Zaporizhzhia facility — Europe’s largest. Russian forces have controlled Zaporizhzhia since the early weeks of the 2022 invasion, and the plant remains inactive. The IAEA noted continued efforts to restore one of its two external power lines, essential to cooling nuclear fuel and preventing meltdowns.

In recent months, both power lines at Zaporizhzhia were disconnected for nearly 30 days, forcing reliance on emergency diesel generators. Kyiv and Moscow blamed each other for the outages. The renewed damage highlights ongoing threats to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and nuclear safety amid escalating attacks.