Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately striking substations that supply electricity to two of the country’s nuclear power plants in one of the largest coordinated missile and drone assaults since the war began.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, the substations powering the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear facilities were hit in “well-planned strikes,” which he described as a “direct threat to nuclear safety in Europe.” He called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors and urged major global powers — including China and India — to pressure Moscow to cease attacks that could cause a catastrophic nuclear incident.
The assault, which overwhelmed Ukraine’s air defences, also targeted key energy infrastructure across five regions. Energy company Centrenergo reported that its Zmiivska and Trypilska thermal power plants, located in the Kharkiv and Kyiv regions, were destroyed after suffering what it called “the most massive strike since the beginning of the war.” Both facilities are now non-operational.
Ukraine’s air defence forces said Russia launched 45 ballistic and cruise missiles and 458 Iranian-designed Shahed drones overnight. Of these, 406 drones were intercepted, but only nine missiles were shot down — a result of upgraded Russian weaponry and the shortage of advanced missile defence systems in Ukraine’s arsenal.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine needs far more sophisticated air defence systems to protect its territory, writing on X: “Only a few systems in the world can intercept such missiles effectively.”
In Dnipro, a Shahed drone struck a residential high-rise, killing at least three people and injuring 11 others. Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, confirmed that one of its thermal plants was also damaged in the barrage. The attacks caused widespread power outages in Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, and Chernihiv, leaving many residents without electricity, water, or heating.
Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service reported that a power outage disrupted customs systems, halting border crossings for several hours. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said repair work was underway across all affected regions.
DTEK’s CEO Maxim Timchenko said the sustained targeting of energy infrastructure indicates Russia’s goal is the “complete destruction of Ukraine’s energy system.” The national grid operator Ukrenergo announced that most regions would face planned power cuts ranging from eight to sixteen hours, with outages in Kyiv expected to last up to ten hours.
The Zmiivska and Trypilska plants, which were previously damaged in the spring of 2024, remain among Ukraine’s most critical energy assets — their repeated targeting underscoring the escalating Russian campaign to cripple the country’s power supply ahead of winter.
