Four NPP reactors temporarily disconnected from grid after Russian attack on August 26
Photo: RNPP

On August 26, as a result of a Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine, four NPP power units were temporarily disconnected from the grid, the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to international organizations in Vienna informed in a letter to the IAEA.

At 8:58 a.m., power units No. 1, 3 and 4 at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant shut down, and at 5:05 p.m. due to fluctuations in the national energy system caused by the Russian strike, power unit No. 3 at the South Ukrainian NPP also shut down.

"The Russian Federation continues to deliberately targetUkraine's energy infrastructure, intending to disrupt theoperation of the country's nuclear power plants, which providemost of Ukraine's electricity. Russian attacks pose a significantrisk to the stable operation of nuclear facilities in Ukraine and the safety of millions of people," the letter states.

The Permanent Mission of Ukraine asked the IAEA to immediately convey this information to all members of the organization.

On August 26, the Russians used 127 missiles and 109 drones against Ukraine, which was the largest air attack ever.

It led to a significant deterioration of the situation in the power system. Transmission system operators have had to implement emergency shutdown schedules to maintain system integrity.

The Ministry of Energy has not yet predicted how long the outage schedules will last. According to the assessment of the former energy minister Ivan Plachkov, this could be one or two weeks, provided there are no new strikes.