Mykhailo Gonchar: Russia attempted to disrupt Ukraine’s nuclear energy in a hybrid manner

Russia attempted to disrupt Ukraine’s nuclear power generation in a hybrid manner during an attack on August 26, wrote Mykhailo Gonchar, a Ukrainian expert on international energy and security relations.

“On August 26, Russia did not merely launch a massive and combined missile and drone strike aimed at the Unified Energy System of Ukraine. These were deliberate, yet indirect actions targeting Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, which provide over 55% of the country’s electricity production. Our nuclear power plants are an island of stability in Ukraine’s energy sector,” Gonchar writes.

Russia sought to disable Ukrainian energy blocks without directly targeting the nuclear power plants or the distribution devices near them, instead aiming to destroy peripheral substations. “This is a sort of hybrid method of cutting off nuclear generation,” says the expert.

At the same time, Russia launched a powerful disinformation campaign against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and attempted to discredit Ukraine regarding the situation at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. “The visit of IAEA Director General Grossi to the Russian plant in Kursk on August 27 was organized extremely promptly. Despite his statement that the Kursk NPP is operating in a ‘mode close to normal,’ Rosatom head Likhachev portrays the visit as an agreement ‘…on an immediate response from the IAEA to any manifestations of aggression both in Zaporizhzhia and in the Kursk region,’ accusing the Armed Forces of Ukraine of attack on the plant,” Gonchar says.

Russia is attempting to evade the stipulations of Article 56 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. This article explicitly prohibits attacks on facilities such as dams, dykes, and nuclear power plants, which if targeted, could lead to significant civilian casualties due to the release of dangerous forces. These international regulations safeguard civilian infrastructures from direct assaults, ensuring their protection during armed conflicts. By taking indirect actions, Russia aims to sidestep these obligations, thereby placing civilian safety at risk, especially concerning nuclear power plants.