Russia targeted substations powering nuclear plants during large-scale overnight energy attacks, Sybiha says
Russian forces targeted energy substations that power the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants overnight on Nov. 7-8, amid its large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"These were not accidental but well-planned strikes. Russia is deliberately endangering nuclear safety in Europe," Sybiha remarked on social media on Nov. 8. The foreign minister did not clarify whether the substations were damaged or struck in the attacks.
Officials did not report any disruptions to the operations of the nuclear power plants.
Russia launched 45 cruise and ballistic missiles as well as over 450 towards Ukrainian targets overnight in what Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk called "one of the largest direct ballistic missile attacks on energy facilities" since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Emergency outages were introduced in several Ukrainian regions due to the attack, according to Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo, with Kyiv facing over 12 hours of power cuts.
Following the attacks directed towards the substations, Sybiha called an for an urgent meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governor.
"There needs to be global pressure to force Moscow to stop its nuclear blackmail," Sybiha said, calling on China and India, Russia's top energy importers, "to demand Russia stop reckless attacks on nuclear energy that risk a catastrophic incident."
Both nuclear power plants are situated in western Ukraine, far from the front, but are nonetheless vulnerable to nearby infrastructure strikes.
In September, IAEA staff at the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants reported hearing drones and gunfire during Russia's mass strike on Ukraine's west
The IAEA has also repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a Ukrainian facility housing armed Russian troops and facing emergency shutdowns and power outages.
Both Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants remain under the supervision of Ukraine's nuclear regulator and the IAEA, which has warned that any nearby military activity carries grave risks.
