The Guardian: Russia’s attacks on Ukraine puts Europe at risk of nuclear disaster

Russian aerial attacks on substations connected to three active Ukrainian nuclear power plants are threatening a potential nuclear disaster in Europe, according to the London-based The Guardian, citing the international environmental organization Greenpeace.

“Ukraine’s power network is at “heightened risk of catastrophic failure” after Russia’s missile and drone attack on Sunday [Nov. 17],” the report states.

These attacks on power plants pose a significant danger, with experts warning that reactors could be left without power, making them unsafe.

“It is clear that Russia is using the threat of a nuclear disaster as a major military lever to defeat Ukraine,” said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear expert at Greenpeace Ukraine. “But by undertaking the attacks Russia is risking a nuclear catastrophe in Europe, which is comparable to Fukushima [Japan] in 2011, [and] Chornobyl in 1986 or even worse.”

Greenpeace has called on Russia to immediately halt its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to send permanent experts to monitor substations critical for the operation of the nuclear plants.

“The IAEA conducted one inspection in late October, but has not committed to return,” the report adds.

Overnight on Nov. 17, Russia unleashed its biggest airborne attack on Ukraine, firing more than 210 missiles and drones at power generation and transmission facilities across the country. 

Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, and near the Moldovan border, where Ukraine’s energy system is connected to the rest of Europe.

“Hours later, Ukrenergo, the country’s main electricity provider, announced nationwide rationing to help the system recover,” the text reads.