In a chilling escalation, Ukraine has leveled grave accusations against Russia, asserting that the Kremlin has been rerouting missiles to ominously traverse the airspace over nuclear power plants—an alarming military strategy that compounds the specter of catastrophic nuclear incidents.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko revealed to the Financial Times that Russian assaults had necessitated the shutdown of a critical plant on August 26, following a direct hit on a substation. Ever since that fateful day, he noted, the frequency of Russian missiles passing over Ukraine’s trio of nuclear facilities—responsible for nearly 60 percent of the nation’s electricity—has alarmingly surged.
“This situation revolves around three operational nuclear stations,” Galushchenko elaborated, emphasizing that while one facility plunged into an ’emergency blackout’ was nestled in central Ukraine, the other two targets lay significantly further west, perilously close to the EU border.
Tensions have escalated, with the August attacks triggering chilling fears of a nuclear calamity akin to those that loomed when Russia seized control of Ukraine’s largest plant, Zaporizhzhia, back in 2022. Subsequent assaults on this facility have left its reactors shuttered, intensifying the lurking anxiety.
An advocate for the expansion of nuclear energy in Ukraine, Galushchenko acknowledged the daunting costs associated with this energy sector but passionately argued that a robust nuclear infrastructure could ultimately secure a stable energy future for the beleaguered nation.
In a striking assessment, officials and energy companies in Ukraine have noted a marked increase in the precision of Russia’s strikes this year, particularly when compared with the chaotic wave of assaults that characterized the initial onslaught against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the fall of 2022.
Despite the August 26 attack resulting in only minor disruptions—thanks to the rapid repairs executed by Ukrenenergo, the utility managing the energy grid—Russian tactics have turned sinister. They have unleashed cluster munitions, weapons laden with small mines, complicating and delaying emergency responses.
Galushchenko pointed to the deliberate targeting of substations linked to nuclear facilities as evidence of a calculated assault plan. Over the past six weeks, he indicated, “they have altered the flight paths of their drones and missiles to skim perilously close to or directly over our nuclear power stations.” What was once an uncommon occurrence—triggering serious concerns at the UN atomic agency—has now morphed into a daily dread.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced these apprehensions during his UN address last month, explicitly warning of Russia’s intentions to wage attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear installations.
Amid this escalating turmoil, Ukrainian air force reports reveal a staggering surge in drone strikes—jumping from 790 in August to 1,339 in September, nearly doubling the aggression against Ukrainian targets.
Galushchenko underscored the precariousness of the situation, expressing uncertainty regarding Russia’s threshold for entering nuclear targets but asserting, “should a reactor be compromised, it would be ‘the end’ for Russia, resulting in Rosatom’s irrevocable loss of global projects.”
Criticism has mounted against Ukraine’s state nuclear company, Energoatom, for its alleged failure to construct concrete protective shelters—referred to as Level 2 protection—around its substations adjacent to nuclear plants. While tenders were published in late September and early October, the construction of the necessary 20-meter tall structures could extend well beyond a year.
In defense, Energoatom contended that accusations of inaction were part of a malicious “information attack,” arguing that the details concerning protective measures around its facilities are classified to prevent their exploitation by Russia.