Kremlin prepares strikes on Ukraine's critical nuclear power facilities - Sibiga

The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Andriy Sibyga, has said that he has intelligence which shows that the Kremlin is preparing strikes on critical nuclear facilities in Ukraine. The Russians plan to do this on the eve of winter. The head of the diplomatic department wrote about this in Telegram.

He specified that we are talking about probable attacks on open switchgear of nuclear power plants and transmission substations, which are critical for the safe operation of nuclear power.

The defeat of these facilities creates a high risk of a nuclear incident that would have global consequences. The Ukrainian intelligence services have already passed the relevant information to their partners," Sibiga pointed out.

He called on the IAEA to ensure a permanent extended mission presence at all relevant facilities.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also reminded that Russia is the only country that seized the nuclear power plant and created a threat to the entire European continent by turning the nuclear power facility into an object of blackmail.

The Ukrainian Formula for Peace contains a clause on ensuring radiation and nuclear safety. We call on all international organisations and states that respect the UN Charter to prevent the scenario of a terrorist country," Sibiga urged.

Russia has recently been actively attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and trying to disable the three remaining nuclear power plants, which provide more than half of the country's electricity production. Their loss to the Ukrainian energy system would be a severe blow to the country's economy, its ability to continue the war and provide people with basic needs - light, water and heat.

For this reason, the allies are seriously discussing lifting the ban on strikes by long-range Western missiles against facilities in Russia.

Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine had four nuclear power plants in operation, but the Zaporozhye nuclear plant was seized by the Russian military in 2022. The remaining three generate 55 per cent of the electricity now produced.