Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure are endangering nuclear facilities across the country, including the decommissioned Chernobyl plant and the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.
On October 1, a wave of Russian Shahed drones struck the northern city of Slavutych, the main power supplier for Chernobyl. The attack caused a three-hour blackout that disabled critical cooling and radiation monitoring systems at the site. Although power was later restored through alternate lines, Ukrainian officials stressed that repeated outages could jeopardize nuclear safety.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed a temporary disruption but said there was no immediate radiation risk. However, Zelenskyy accused the agency of failing to respond strongly enough, warning that “weak international reactions” would not prevent future threats.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, remains disconnected from Ukraine’s national grid and relies heavily on diesel generators to maintain safety functions. Russia-installed operators claim the situation is under control, but Ukrainian officials argue that prolonged dependence on backup systems is unsustainable and dangerous.
Russia has denied responsibility for targeting nuclear facilities, with President Vladimir Putin accusing Ukraine of staging strikes near the plants to escalate tensions. He warned that Moscow would respond to what he called a “dangerous game.”
Meanwhile, the scale of Russia’s drone and missile campaign has grown. Ukrainian defense officials reported intercepting hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles over the past week, but admitted that repeated strikes on power infrastructure remain a major vulnerability.
European and NATO leaders have expressed growing concern about the risks of a nuclear accident caused by attacks on energy systems. Discussions are underway about strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and increasing international monitoring of nuclear facilities.
With both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia requiring constant external power to prevent accidents, officials warn that continued strikes pose a significant risk not only to Ukraine but to regional security across Europe.