Several Ukrainian power substations critical to nuclear safety were damaged during widespread Russian attacks early Tuesday morning, leaving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) closely monitoring the situation, the agency’s chief said.
The attack also disconnected the Chornobyl nuclear power plant – the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster – from the grid for some hours.
At around noon on Tuesday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant lost all external power supply, while power transmission lines serving other nuclear power plants in Ukraine were also affected.
“Several Ukrainian electrical substations vital for nuclear safety were impacted by widespread military activity this morning,” Grossi said in a statement. “The IAEA is actively following developments in order to assess their impact on nuclear safety.”
The agency did not immediately provide details on the duration of the outages or the condition of backup power systems.
At around 6 p.m., Chornobyl plant director Sergiy Tarakanov said its facilities have been reconnected, according to AFP.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure pose a direct threat to nuclear safety, accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting substations to create blackout risks for nuclear facilities, including the Chornobyl site.
Sybiha said Ukraine is intensifying engagement with the IAEA and urged its Board of Governors to respond decisively, calling for an urgent meeting and questioning Russia’s continued presence on the board. “A state that deliberately creates nuclear safety risks has no place there,” he said.
Russian forces again attacked Kyiv overnight, launching ballistic missiles and drones at the capital, causing casualties and leaving 5,635 high-rise buildings without heating.
According to the mayor, 5,635 high-rise buildings were left without heating following the strike, nearly 80% of which had only recently had heat restored after outages on Jan. 9.
As of Monday evening, Jan. 19, just 16 of nearly 6,000 buildings remained without heating from the earlier damage.
“The left bank remains without water supply following today’s attack. Utility and energy workers are restoring heat, water, and electricity,” Klitschko added.
Following two recent Russian strikes on Kyiv and amid severe frost, the city’s energy situation has sharply deteriorated. Emergency power outages without fixed schedules have been in effect for nearly a week, accompanied by disruptions to water and heating.
Against this backdrop, Ukraine introduced a state of emergency in the energy sector last week.