Ukraine war latest: Chornobyl Nuclear Plant loses power after Russian attack on nearby town, Kyiv says
Key developments on Oct. 1:
- Chornobyl Nuclear Plant loses power after Russian attack on nearby town, Energy Ministry says
- Ukrainian drone kills member of Russian occupation administration in Kherson Oblast, Kremlin proxy claims
- Russian territorial gains in Ukraine drop sharply in September, monitoring group says
- Russia claims capture of another Dnipropetrovsk Oblast village
- Russia may be using around 20,000 North Korean workers in military production, Ukrainian general says
A Russian attack on an energy facility in the town of Slavutych in Kyiv Oblast caused a blackout at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on Oct. 1, the Energy Ministry said.
Slavutych, a satellite town of the Chornobyl plant in northern Ukraine, was built to house evacuated plant personnel following the 1986 disaster.
Earlier on Oct. 1, a Russian drone attack on a substation in Slavutych caused power outages in the city and parts of the neighboring Chernihiv Oblast, according to local authorities.
The Energy Ministry also reported an "emergency situation" at several facilities within the Chornobyl plant.
"Due to power surges, the New Safe Confinement — the key structure that isolates the destroyed 4th reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and prevents the release of radioactive materials into the environment — was left without electricity," the statement read.
The news comes as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, which has been under Russian occupation since March 2022, has been disconnected from the Ukrainian electricity grid for a record over 100 hours.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant as "critical" on Sept. 30. Diesel generators are now supplying power to the plant, but one has already failed, Zelensky said.
Ukrainian drone kills member of Russian occupation administration in Kherson Oblast, Kremlin proxy claims
A Ukrainian drone on Oct. 1 killed Volodymyr Leontiev, a Russian-installed official in the occupied town of Nova Kakhovka in Kherson Oblast, according to Volodymyr Saldo, the Moscow-appointed head of the partially-occupied region.
Leontiev was wounded in the attack by a Baba Yaga drone and died in the hospital later in the day, according to Saldo.
Ukraine has not commented on the attack. The Kyiv Independent has reached out to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) for comment.
Leontiev, 61, previously served as the head of the Russian-installed administration in the town of Nova Kakhovka, taking the position in April 2022 — shortly after Russian forces seized control of the area. He then held a senior position in the Moscow-installed local council.
Leontiev has been implicated in multiple war-related crimes since the start of the full-scale invasion.
In March 2022, he reportedly ordered Russian troops to abduct and torture the mayor of Beryslav, Oleksandr Shapovalov. For this, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a Ukrainian court.
In April 2022, Leontiev was formally charged with collaboration. Later that summer, he was accused of involvement in the abduction of local journalist Oleh Baturin.
Last year, a Ukrainian court sentenced Leontiev to an additional 12 years for the unlawful imprisonment of Baturin, as well as the mayor of Tavriisk and the secretary of the Nova Kakhovka City Council.
Alexandra Brzozowski
Russian territorial gains in Ukraine drop sharply in September, monitoring group says
The pace of Russia’s territorial advances in Ukraine slowed significantly in September, with Russian forces seizing 44% less land compared to August, the Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on Oct. 1.
Russian troops captured approximately 259 square kilometers (100 square miles) of Ukrainian territory during the last month, just 0.04% of Ukraine’s total area. This marks the smallest monthly gain since May.
In total, Russia now occupies around 19.04% of Ukraine’s territory.
Ukraine's most significant losses in September occurred near the village of Novopavlivka in Donetsk Oblast. DeepState analysts described this sector as one of the most challenging sections of the front.
Heavy fighting also continues around the town of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, near the Ukrainian-Russian border.
In the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian forces reportedly managed to sustain effective defense. Analysts noted that roughly one-third of all Russian assaults were concentrated on the town of Pokrovsk and the surrounding areas.
"The cost of every meter here is significantly higher. (Russia) has approached the town from the south, and urban combat differs greatly in complexity from fighting in open areas. Additionally, there is virtually no defensive depth remaining," the report read.
Russia claims capture of another Dnipropetrovsk Oblast village
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Oct. 1 Moscow's troops had captured the village of Verbove in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, marking further gains in the region.
The Ukrainian military refused to comment on the current situation in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The Kyiv Independent couldn't verify the recent Russian reports.
In recent days, the DeepState reported that Russian troops had advanced toward Verbove, a village located some 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the town of Pokrovske along the Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk highway.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described the situation near the border of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as tense at the meeting with journalists on Sept. 25 attended by the Kyiv Independent. However, he claimed that Ukrainian forces had stopped a Russian attempt to advance.
Syrskyi also said Russia had abandoned its offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, calling the presence of Russian troops there merely "declarative."
Russia may be using around 20,000 North Korean workers in military production, Ukrainian general says
Russia may have brought in around 20,000 workers from North Korea to manufacture goods intended for military use, General Staff Chief Andrii Hnatov said in an interview with Ukrinform published on Oct. 1. He added that the data requires further confirmation.
According to the lieutenant general, Russia is using North Korean labor to produce Geran drones, which are manufactured in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.
"That is also participation in the conflict," Hnatov said.
North Korea has become a key ally to Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, providing artillery, missiles, and thousands of troops.
Initially, Pyongyang dispatched around 11,000-12,000 troops to Russia in late 2024 to help fend off a Ukrainian incursion in Russia's Kursk Oblast. The North Korean contingent reportedly suffered 2,000 soldiers killed in combat.
According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, Pyongyang was planning to send an additional 6,000 troops to Russia as part of its third wave of deployment.
Hnatov said that a number of North Korean troops are present in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Russia claims them to be engineering units deployed for demining operations.
Ukraine has not recently observed Russia involving North Korean forces in combat operations, Hnatov added.
Note from the author:
Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.
