Russian attack temporarily cuts power to Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant

As of 5:30 p.m. Kyiv time, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is already getting power from Ukraine's unified energy grid, despite Russia's nighttime attack, according to the Energy Ministry.

The strikes affected several substations that are critical for nuclear safety. In addition, power transmission lines connecting other nuclear power plants were damaged.

Grossi added that the IAEA “is actively following developments in order to assess impact on nuclear safety.”

In turn, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are creating serious risks for nuclear safety. Russia is systematically targeting substations, threatening to cut power to nuclear facilities, including Chornobyl and other nuclear power plants.

“While Russian officials speak about the “importance” of power lines, their forces deliberately strike substations, directly endangering nuclear safety and defying repeated IAEA warnings,” Sybiha said.

“This has nothing to do with ‘Atoms for Peace’. It is the use of nuclear risk as a tool of coercion.”

The minister stressed that IAEA warnings continue to be ignored and called for stronger interaction with the international agency. He urged the IAEA Board of Governors to immediately convene a meeting and adopt a decision regarding Russia’s presence in the organization.

“Our position is that a terrorist state that deliberately creates nuclear safety risks has no place there,” the diplomat added.

Overnight into Jan. 20, Russia carried out a massive attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities using ballistic and cruise missiles as well as Shahed drones. Strikes were recorded in the Odesa, Vinnytsia and Rivne oblasts, in Kyiv; the cities of Zaporizhzhya and Dnipro were also attacked.

Reports indicate hits on critical and energy infrastructure facilities and enterprises. Ukrenergo reported that emergency power outages were imposed in several regions.

Kyiv was left partially without heating (more than 5,600 apartment buildings) and without water (left bank of the capital) as a result of the massive overnight strike. The new Russian attack dealt a serious blow to efforts to restore heat, water and electricity supply in Kyiv after the Jan. 9 strike. At that time 6,000 buildings were left without heating; as of the evening of Jan. 19, before the new attack, only 16 buildings remained without heating.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, overnight into Jan. 20 Russian troops used 34 missiles and 339 strike UAVs of Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas and other types, of which 250 were Shaheds. Air defense forces downed or suppressed 342 targets.

On Jan. 17, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported that Russia is considering strikes on substations of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

The agency said the aggressor wants to use such actions to force Ukraine to sign unacceptable capitulation demands for ending the war.