Russia strikes Chornobyl substation in bid to pressure Ukraine on occupied Zaporizhzhia plant

Mykhailo Honchar, president of the Center for Global Studies Strategy XXI, expert on international energy and security relations, stated this on Espreso TV.

"The issue of nuclear blackmail is part of Russia's renewed energy attacks. Why was the strike aimed specifically at the substation that powers the Chornobyl NPP, where nuclear fuel reserves are stored? The logic is clear - it is an attempt to pressure Ukraine, forcing it to be more compliant on the issue of a possible restart of at least one power unit at the Zaporizhzhia NPP," Honchar noted.

According to the expert, for the past two years, work has been underway at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to connect it to Russia's power grid. The Kremlin is now tasking Rosatom with launching the station, as such a powerful nuclear power plant in the center of Europe is currently generating only losses instead of profits. Rosatom is forced to spend significant funds on its maintenance.

"But this is unacceptable for Ukraine. Therefore, the Russians are escalating events related to nuclear blackmail, hinting that if Ukraine does not make concessions, the strikes may continue. And it's not just about the substation in Slavutych; a strike could also be aimed at the Chornobyl NPP sarcophagus itself. And it might not be a Shahed drone, but something much more powerful - for example, a cruise missile. Thus, Ukraine is effectively being threatened, demanding compliance on the Zaporizhzhia NPP issue," Honchar emphasized.

• On October 1, the Russian army struck a substation in the city of Slavutych in the Kyiv region. As a result of the enemy attack, the city lost power, and the confinement structure at the Chornobyl NPP was left without an electricity supply. Power outage schedules were introduced in the Chernihiv region.