On Friday, a Russian strike targeted one of the two power lines that supply Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, as part of a significant assault on energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko reported on Facebook that this attack marks the most extensive assault on Ukraine’s energy sector in recent memory. He stated that shelling had disrupted “one of the power transmission lines” supplying the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
While Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia power plant early in the conflict, the plant continues to rely on Ukrainian power lines for its operation.
Ukraine’s atomic energy operator Energoatom expressed grave concern, stating, “This situation is extremely dangerous and risks sparking an emergency situation.”
Energoatom warned that if the final power line is severed, the Zaporizhzhia power plant would be “on the verge of another blackout, which is a serious violation of the conditions of safe operation of the plant.”
Since the start of the conflict, the Zaporizhzhia power plant has experienced multiple blackouts, relying on emergency diesel generators and safety systems. Energoatom emphasized that in the event of their failure, the risk of a nuclear and radiation accident would escalate.
According to Zaporizhzhia’s governor, the region was struck by 12 Russian missiles early Friday, resulting in the destruction of several houses and causing injuries to an unspecified number of individuals.
“Initial reports indicate that seven houses were completely destroyed, while 35 sustained damage,” wrote Ivan Fedorov on Telegram, noting that casualties were reported among the affected population.
Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol, a city under Russian control since 2022, stated on Telegram that a Russian missile had struck a trolley at the Dnipro hydroelectric station in Zaporizhzhia, resulting in civilian casualties among its passengers.
Oleksandr Symchyshyn, mayor of the western city of Khmelnytskyi, described the morning as “horrible,” citing damage to infrastructure and residential buildings.
“There are civilian victims and casualties,” he reported on Telegram.
Russian missile, drone, and artillery strikes targeted energy facilities in various cities across Ukraine on Friday, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Kryvyi Rig.
“The objective is not only to cause damage but to attempt once again, as was the case last year, to trigger a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system,” stated Energy Minister Galushchenko.
