This is reported by Kyiv24
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiga stated that Russia’s massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure pose a serious threat to the country’s nuclear security. According to him, strikes on energy facilities could lead to power outages at nuclear sites, including the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and other NPPs across Ukraine.
Threats from Strikes on Energy Infrastructure
Andrii Sybiga emphasized that despite official statements from Russian representatives about the importance of protecting power lines, Russian troops are deliberately targeting substations, ignoring numerous warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“This has nothing to do with ‘Atoms for Peace.’ It is the use of nuclear risk as a tool of coercion,” the minister stated.
Sybiga stressed that such actions by Russia are a deliberate creation of additional risks for the nuclear security of Ukraine and all of Europe.
Call for Decisive Action from IAEA
The Foreign Minister also reported that Ukraine is strengthening cooperation with the IAEA in response to the growing threats. He urged the agency’s Board of Directors to urgently convene a meeting and make a decision regarding Russia’s continued participation in the IAEA governing body.
According to Sybiga, Russia, which deliberately creates threats to nuclear security, cannot remain a member of the Board of Directors. He insists on the need for a decisive response and the exclusion of the aggressor country from this body.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed that extensive military activity on January 20 led to damage to several electrical substations critical for nuclear safety. As a result, the Chernobyl NPP was left without external power supply, and power lines to other nuclear power plants were also damaged.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia is attempting to harm Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. According to Ukrainian intelligence estimates, the Russian Federation may resort to attacks on NPP substations in an effort to force Ukraine to agree to capitulation terms to end the war.