In brief
Following a barrage of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine’s nuclear plants have cut their output, creating shortages across six regions and scheduled blackouts in most of the country. The Energy Ministry said repairs would gradually restore normal capacity, while President Zelensky noted 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles were used in the assault. The full extent of damage to nuclear sites and the timing of a full return to normalcy remain unclear.
Ukraine’s nuclear power plants have reduced their generating capacity after large‑scale Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure, the Ukraine Energy Ministry said Wednesday. The strikes, which involved drones and missiles, have left consumers without electricity in six regions and triggered scheduled power outages across most of the country, with the capital and its surrounding region suffering the most severe shortages. Repair crews are working around the clock to restore a stable power supply, the ministry said.
The ministry added that the nuclear plants will gradually return to normal operating levels once energy workers repair the damaged power grid. The statement was issued as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia had launched 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles in an overnight attack targeting energy facilities.
Elsewhere, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that during the previous night, air‑defence forces intercepted and destroyed 496 Ukrainian fixed‑wing unmanned aerial vehicles over some regions, as well as flying over waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid coincide with ongoing reports of widespread infrastructure damage from prior Russian strikes. Though the Energy Ministry confirmed that nuclear facilities were not directly hit, it noted that the grid’s vulnerability has increased, prompting a precautionary reduction in nuclear output. The ministry also highlighted that the power shortages are linked to attempts by Russian forces to disrupt the country’s supply chain of electricity to both civilians and the military.
Repair crews, consisting of grid specialists and engineers, have been on the frontlines since the attacks, shifting resources to restore electrification in the hardest-hit provinces. Officials estimate that full restoration of the nuclear output may take several weeks, depending on the pace of grid repairs and the re‑comissioning of damaged components.
During the same week, the Russian defence ministry’s claims about intercepting Ukrainian drones were not corroborated in other independent sources. The Ukrainian state service for protection of the environment and protection of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure remains uncertain whether all nuclear sites received indirect damage or whether they were entirely spared.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry stressed that the country’s nuclear safety protocols were not compromised, and that the current step of reducing output was a precautionary measure aimed at avoiding any risk of overheating or meltdowns.
While the ministry acknowledges the seriousness of the situation, it refrained from providing a precise timeline for each nuclear site’s return to full capacity. It said that the damage to the grid is extensive but that continued efforts are underway to bring power levels back to normal gradually.
What remains uncertain is the full extent of the damage to each nuclear plant, the exact duration of the reduced output period, and whether all six affected regions will have power restored in the same timeframe. The Ukrainian government has yet to disclose whether further measures will be needed to safeguard the nuclear plants during the period of limited operation.
