Kathrine Frich
Experts warn that continued bombardment near power plants could trigger a disaster far beyond blackouts.
Russia’s campaign against Ukraine’s energy system is raising fresh alarms about nuclear safety.
Nuclear proximity
Military and energy experts have warned that Russian missile strikes are landing dangerously close to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
According to the Daily Express, some impacts have been recorded just hundreds of metres from reactor sites.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian specialist in electronic warfare, said missiles targeting energy infrastructure have fallen as close as 300 metres from nuclear reactors.
“A miss by an Iskander or Kinzhal [missile] could turn into a second Chernobyl,” Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram, referring to Russian missile systems.
Historic comparison
Beskrestnov compared the potential consequences of such a strike to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, when an explosion and fire at a nuclear plant released massive radiation and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.
He warned that the risk is not hypothetical, noting that Russian weapons have repeatedly missed their intended targets.
Past strikes have hit residential buildings instead of military or industrial facilities, including deadly attacks on apartment blocks in cities such as Ternopil and Kyiv, he said.
Power grid pressure
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts and cutting electricity and heating during freezing temperatures.
Ukrainian officials say the strategy aims to create a nationwide energy collapse, a tactic often described as “weaponising winter.”
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence agency, known as HUR, said Russia could launch new attacks on electricity substations that support the operation of nuclear power plants.
Intelligence warnings
HUR said Moscow has already conducted reconnaissance of 10 critical energy sites across nine Ukrainian regions.
The agency warned that strikes on these facilities could be used to pressure Kyiv into accepting Vladimir Putin’s terms.
Ukraine’s new energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, said Russia carried out 612 attacks on energy targets over the past year alone.
Civilian impact
The sustained attacks have forced Ukrainian authorities to introduce emergency measures to protect civilians.
These include easing curfews in some areas and opening public heating centres as temperatures drop as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius.
Despite international warnings, Russia has continued its campaign against Ukraine’s energy network, increasing fears that a miscalculation could lead to a catastrophic nuclear incident.
Sources: Daily Express, Ukrainian Military Intelligence (HUR).
