According to the Director General of the IAEA, Raphael Grossi, during a series of massive attacks by the criminal army of the Russian Federation on Ukraine on the night of November 16 and 17 and in the morning of November 17, 4 key substations for powering Ukrainian nuclear power plants were damaged.
Points of attention
- The IAEA confirmed that the Russian army damaged key substations crucial for the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, heightening nuclear safety risks in the region.
- The deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure by Russia poses a grave threat of a nuclear disaster in Europe, echoing the tragedies of Fukushima and Chernobyl.
- Experts warn that the use of nuclear threats as a military strategy by Russia could lead to catastrophic consequences, emphasizing the urgent need for international intervention.
- Greenpeace highlights the heightened risk of catastrophic failure in Ukraine's energy system following the attacks on critical substations, putting nuclear reactors in danger.
- Immediate measures are essential to prevent a potential nuclear disaster in Europe, necessitating coordinated efforts to safeguard nuclear facilities and ensure safety.
What is known about Russia's creation of the risk of nuclear danger in Ukraine
Grossi noted that the real risks for nuclear power plants in Ukraine became quite obvious after last weekend, when Ukraine's energy infrastructure suffered from massive attacks by the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
Four of these substations and their power lines were again hit by shelling on the night of November 16 and the early morning of November 17, which forced the operating Ukrainian nuclear power plants to reduce power as a precautionary measure, the IAEA Director General explains.
He added that in recent days, operating Ukrainian nuclear power plants gradually began to restore their power lines and increase electricity production, but on Thursday morning they again reduced electricity production as a precautionary measure, restoring it later.
What is known about planned blackouts and the situation in the Ukrainian energy system
According to Greenpeace representatives, quoted by The Guardian journalists, Ukraine's energy system is in a state of increased risk of catastrophic failure.
Greenpeace's analytical note, prepared for the journalists of the publication, states that the strikes of the Russian occupiers were aimed at key substations that are critical for the operation of the nuclear power plant.
This creates a risk that the reactors could be left without power supply and become dangerous.
It is obvious that Russia is using the threat of a nuclear disaster as a lever of military pressure to win over Ukraine. But by carrying out these attacks, Russia risks causing a nuclear disaster in Europe, comparable to Fukushima in 2011, Chernobyl in 1986 or even worse, — warns Greenpeace Ukraine expert on nuclear security Sean Burney.
