Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of Deliberately Threatening Nuclear Facilities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued an urgent warning about the escalating dangers to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, accusing Russia of deliberately endangering the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest atomic facility. The concerns arise as Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure caused a blackout in Slavutych, disrupting power to Chernobyl for over three hours, and left Zaporizhzhia disconnected from the grid for more than a week.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s actions, stating that the bombardment of energy infrastructure, including facilities critical to nuclear safety, poses a global threat. “Every Russian strike on our energy grid, especially those tied to nuclear facilities, risks a radiation incident,” he said. He criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its director, Rafael Mariano Grossi, for what he called inadequate responses to the crisis, urging stronger international action to prevent a potential catastrophe.

The Chernobyl site, though no longer operational, requires constant power to maintain cooling systems for spent fuel rods and to operate radiation monitoring systems overseen by the IAEA. A recent wave of over 20 Russian Shahed drones targeted Slavutych, which supplies power to Chernobyl, causing a blackout that affected the sarcophagus encasing the destroyed fourth reactor and storage for over 3,000 tons of spent fuel. “Russia knew the consequences of striking Slavutych,” Zelenskyy asserted, highlighting the deliberate nature of the attack. A similar incident last February saw a drone strike ignite a fire at Chernobyl’s protective shell, though radiation levels remained stable.

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Meanwhile, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, one of the world’s largest, faces its own crisis. Disconnected from Ukraine’s grid for over a week, the facility relies on emergency diesel generators to power cooling systems for its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel. Caught in the crossfire of the ongoing war, the plant has been repeatedly compromised. Zelenskyy attributed the latest power disruption to Russian artillery, while the Kremlin blamed Ukrainian shelling. The IAEA has stressed the need for immediate reconnection to the grid, warning that the plant’s safety remains precarious despite no immediate danger.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported that Russia’s occupation of Zaporizhzhia has significantly degraded its security. The think tank claimed Moscow aims to integrate the plant into Russia’s energy grid, a move that could further jeopardize safety, undermine Ukraine’s energy capacity, and legitimize Russia’s occupation. As the war, now over three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, shows no signs of abating despite U.S.-led peace efforts, Zelenskyy’s warnings underscore the catastrophic risks of continued attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The international community faces mounting pressure to address this looming nuclear threat.

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