During a recent UN Security Council meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing to attack three Ukrainian nuclear power plants: Rivne, South Ukraine, and Khmelnytskyi. Zelensky stated, “We have this information, we have evidence. If Russia is ready to go this far, it means that no values matter to Moscow.” He also mentioned that Russian forces have been using Chinese satellites to surveil these nuclear facilities.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been under Russian military occupation since the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022, leading to numerous incidents at and around the facility. Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of creating security threats to the plant. In an interview with DW, Dmitry Gumenyuk, head of the Security Analysis Department at Ukraine's State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, discussed the implications of potential strikes on nuclear facilities.
According to Gumenyuk, attacks on the plants’ open distribution devices and substations could significantly impact nuclear safety and power generation. He emphasized that any damage could lead to reduced energy output, consumer blackouts, and humanitarian consequences. Furthermore, he noted that an attack could pose a direct threat to nuclear reactors, which rely on stable power supply for cooling.
In a worst-case scenario, a complete loss of power could lead to a situation similar to the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Gumenyuk reassured that Ukraine's reactors are designed with safety measures that could prevent a catastrophic radiation leak, but he warned that the situation remains precarious.
The international community is closely monitoring these developments, as any nuclear incident could have far-reaching implications beyond Ukraine, potentially affecting neighboring European countries.