Photo: Chornobyl NPP / chnpp.gov.ua

Russian shelling on the night of January 20 damaged several Ukrainian power substations that are critical for nuclear safety, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi reported.

As a result, the Chernobyl NPP lost all off-site power, and transmission lines to other nuclear plants were damaged.

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In October, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant already experienced a three-hour blackout following a Russian attack on the city of Slavutych.

Power surges left the new safe confinement, or sarcophagus, without electricity. This key facility isolates the destroyed Unit 4 of the Chernobyl NPP and prevents the release of radioactive materials into the environment.

The sarcophagus had already lost some of its protective functions following a previous Russian attack in February, when it was struck by a drone.

UPDATED at 17:05. Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy confirmed that during the night of January 20, Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure facilities supplying power to sites in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. However, by the second half of the day, all facilities of the State Specialized Enterprise Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant — including the New Safe Confinement (NSC) and spent nuclear fuel storage facilities — had been reconnected to Ukraine’s integrated power grid and are now operating under normal conditions.

In the event of renewed attacks, the plant has sufficient fuel reserves and backup power supply sources.

"The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine emphasizes that such actions by the aggressor are absolutely unacceptable. They constitute a blatant and cynical violation of all fundamental principles of nuclear and radiation safety. By creating risks of power outages at Chornobyl NPP facilities, the enemy endangers the safety not only of Ukraine but of the entire European continent," the statement said.

  • According to the Air Force, during the January 20 Russian strike, Ukrainian forces shot down 14 of 18 ballistic missiles, 13 of 15 cruise missiles, and 315 of 339 drones.