Exclusive: Russia’s worst attack on substations halves Ukraine’s nuclear power output
Russia launched its worst-ever attack on Ukraine's nuclear-connected substations on Feb. 7, cutting the volume of electricity generated by the country's nuclear power by around 50%, Vitaliy Zaichenko, CEO of Ukrenergo, the state grid operator, told the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine has so far managed to repair one substation feeding its nuclear power plants, but the situation remains critical, Zaichenko added.
"The Russians were very successful. All of our nuclear plants were forced to decrease generation, and we lost half the generation capacity right after the attack," Zaichenko said.
Russia targeted high-voltage substations that connect Ukraine’s three operating nuclear plants to the grid, forcing one reactor unit to shut down completely. Shortly after the substations were hit, further power restrictions were implemented across the country amid the coldest winter during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Numerous other energy facilities were also targeted, including thermal power plants, limiting electricity supplies and exacerbating the current energy crisis.
Nuclear power remains the lifeline of Ukraine’s battered energy sector, as Russia hammers all other power plants. While Moscow has not directly hit the plants, Ukrainian military intelligence warned last month that Russia seeks to disconnect nuclear plants from the grid by destroying substations.
Electricity is needed at nuclear plants for safety reasons, such as reactor cooling systems. If an active plant is disconnected, it then relies on backup diesel generators to keep operating. If those generators fail, a nuclear meltdown can happen in hours.
"It's not a good situation for nuclear safety," Zaichenko said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes, which come as Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow engage in peace negotiation talks. Amid the talks, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Jan. 29 that he had personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to refrain from attacking Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Days later Russia struck multiple energy facilities on Feb. 3.
During a government meeting on Feb. 9, Zelensky stressed that partners need to provide further protection for infrastructure connected to nuclear plants. Part of that includes more missile supplies for air defense systems, which the government needs to work together on to accelerate.
"Our nuclear power generation facilities... remain de facto constant targets. And this requires a different level of response than what we have now," he wrote on Telegram.
"We need more protection and more communication with partners so that the world does not remain silent about this threat."
