Ukraine is negotiating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to station foreign observers near its nuclear power plants amid fears that Russia may launch strikes on energy infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently cautioned that Russian forces are planning attacks on three of the country’s nuclear sites as part of a continued effort to disrupt Ukraine’s energy grid, The Kyiv Independent reported.
Although Zelenskyy did not specify which plants are at risk, Ukraine’s operational nuclear facilities include the Rivne, Khmelnytskyi and Pivdennoukrainsk plants. The Zaporizhzhia plant remains under Russian control, while the Chornobyl facility is no longer active.
During a recent event on energy security in Kyiv, Yuliia Kyian, a senior official at Ukraine’s Energy Ministry, said that Russian forces might target substations linked to nuclear plants, putting global atomic safety at risk. “These attacks are a danger not just for Ukraine but for the entire world,” she added.
A loss of energy infrastructure could severely impact Ukraine’s power supply. Substations are crucial for transmitting electricity from nuclear plants to the grid, and damage could compromise reactor safety, according to the International Energy Agency.
Discussions with the IAEA and the European Union about deploying international observers are ongoing, though no final decisions have been made. Inspectors from the IAEA have been stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant since September 2022 but have been denied full access by Russian authorities.
Although Zelenskyy did not specify which plants are at risk, Ukraine’s operational nuclear facilities include the Rivne, Khmelnytskyi and Pivdennoukrainsk plants. The Zaporizhzhia plant remains under Russian control, while the Chornobyl facility is no longer active.
During a recent event on energy security in Kyiv, Yuliia Kyian, a senior official at Ukraine’s Energy Ministry, said that Russian forces might target substations linked to nuclear plants, putting global atomic safety at risk. “These attacks are a danger not just for Ukraine but for the entire world,” she added.
A loss of energy infrastructure could severely impact Ukraine’s power supply. Substations are crucial for transmitting electricity from nuclear plants to the grid, and damage could compromise reactor safety, according to the International Energy Agency.
Discussions with the IAEA and the European Union about deploying international observers are ongoing, though no final decisions have been made. Inspectors from the IAEA have been stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant since September 2022 but have been denied full access by Russian authorities.
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