Ukraine's foreign minister warns of planned Russian strikes on nuclear plants, urges global action

Ukraine’s foreign minister warned Saturday (September 21) that Russia is planning strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities ahead of winter, escalating concerns over potential nuclear disaster as the war drags on.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukrainian intelligence indicates the Kremlin is preparing to target critical nuclear energy infrastructure, specifically open distribution devices at nuclear power plants and transmission sub-stations.

“According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Kremlin is preparing strikes on Ukrainian nuclear energy critical objects ahead of winter,” Sybiha wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He urged Ukraine’s allies and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog to establish permanent monitoring missions at the country’s nuclear plants to prevent catastrophe.

Sybiha did not provide further details to support Kyiv’s claims, and there was no immediate response from Moscow. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also did not comment on the allegations.

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The warning prompted a strong rebuke from Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called for an urgent international response.

“This is preparation for a possible nuclear disaster scenario. Russia is a terrorist,” Yermak wrote on Telegram. “They must be stopped here and now. The countries of the West and the Global South must react harshly to preparations for terror.”

Since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy grid, destroying or severely damaging much of its thermal power infrastructure. While Russian forces have bombarded dams and power stations, nuclear facilities under Ukrainian control have so far been spared direct attacks.

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Ukraine previously accused Moscow of nuclear blackmail after Russian forces seized control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, in March 2022. Although Moscow has denied any intent to trigger a nuclear incident, both sides have repeatedly blamed each other for shelling near the plant, raising fears of a potential disaster.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, who has visited both Ukraine and Russia several times during the war, continues to urge restraint, stressing the grave risk posed by military activity near nuclear sites.

“I think it is always a risk when there is a possibility of an attack on a nuclear power plant,” Grossi said earlier this month during a visit to Kyiv.

As winter approaches and tensions mount, Ukraine is calling for swift action to protect its nuclear facilities from what it describes as looming Russian aggression.

With inputs from agencies