President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is attempting to damage Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and that Kyiv has information about which facilities Moscow has been conducting reconnaissance on.
In an evening address on Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s delegation is fully informing the US about developments on the ground, including Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
“If the Russians really wanted the war to end, they would focus on diplomacy – not on missile attacks, blackouts, and attempts to harm even our nuclear plants,” Zelensky said.
“We have data on the facilities Russia conducted reconnaissance on in preparation for strikes. All of this clearly indicates that diplomacy is not a priority for Russia,” he added.
Zelensky said Russian forces have been attacking Naftogaz facilities across multiple regions throughout the week. The latest strike targeted gas production infrastructure on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Earlier on Saturday, the president said Ukrainian intelligence had information indicating preparations for new Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system and other critical infrastructure.
“There is sufficient information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy and infrastructure, including facilities and networks serving our nuclear power plants,” he said.
According to the president, every Russian strike on civilian infrastructure during the winter undermines and devalues diplomatic efforts by key partners, including the US, to bring the war to an end.
Prior to Zelensky’s statement, the Ukrainian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported that Russia is considering options for striking substations connected to nuclear power plants in an effort to force Kyiv into accepting surrender terms.
“By destroying or disabling these substations, Moscow seeks to disconnect nuclear power plant units from Ukraine’s unified energy system, leaving civilians completely without electricity and heat,” the intelligence report said.
As of mid-January 2026, Russian forces had conducted reconnaissance of 10 critical energy sites across nine regions of Ukraine, the HUR said.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Thursday that it has documented evidence indicating Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure amount to crimes against humanity.
According to the agency, since the start of the current heating season, investigators have recorded 256 Russian air attacks targeting energy facilities and heating systems nationwide.
The SBU said that from October 2025 to date, Russian forces have deliberately struck 11 hydroelectric power plants and 45 of Ukraine’s largest combined heat and power facilities.
Investigators also documented 49 precision strikes on thermal power plants and 151 attacks on electrical substations across multiple regions.
The heaviest damage was reported in Kyiv and the surrounding Kyiv region, as well as in the Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv regions.
Late Wednesday, Zelensky said Ukraine would move to introduce a state of emergency in the energy sector, citing the severe impact of recent Russian strikes on power generation and heating infrastructure.