Ukraine, Slavutych: A Russian missile strike on an energy substation in Slavutych, northern Ukraine, has triggered a serious nuclear safety risk at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. The 1 October attack, involving over 20 drones, caused a blackout lasting more than three hours and affected essential systems supporting the plant’s containment and spent fuel storage facilities.
According to Zelenskyy, the targeted substation supplies external power to the New Safe Confinement structure – the massive steel shelter enclosing the remnants of Reactor 4 destroyed in 1986 – and to the spent nuclear fuel storage facility, which holds over 3,250 t of radioactive material, or about 80 % of all nuclear fuel accumulated at the site.
“The blackout affected systems that must operate continuously to maintain safe conditions,” Zelenskyy said. “Russia could not have been unaware of the consequences for Chornobyl. This was a coordinated attack designed to overwhelm defenses.”
Ukraine’s energy ministry confirmed that emergency backup systems at Chornobyl automatically activated, maintaining cooling and monitoring operations until power was restored. Grid operator Ukrenergo reported extensive damage to transmission lines feeding the substation and said repair crews worked under constant threat of renewed strikes.
The incident marks the latest in a series of Russian assaults on Ukraine’s power and nuclear infrastructure. Zelenskyy warned that similar attacks have left the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in blackout for eight consecutive days, deepening the risk of a broader nuclear emergency.
“Every drone and missile that targets our energy system endangers not just Ukraine but global safety,” Zelenskyy said, urging stronger international action to deter such attacks.
Source: United24 Media
