For the past ten days, the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southeastern Ukraine has been running on emergency diesel generators, a situation that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has described as "unprecedented." The plant, which is Europe’s largest and one of the biggest in the world, lost its external power supply following battle damage to critical transmission lines, raising the specter of a potential nuclear safety crisis in a region already scarred by the legacy of Chernobyl.
The power loss at ZNPP is just the latest in a string of alarming incidents affecting Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure. On October 2 and 3, 2025, Russian drone strikes targeted Ukraine’s power grid, including a direct hit on the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine. According to The Associated Press, the drone attack knocked out power for more than three hours at Chernobyl, a site that, while not operational, still requires a constant electricity supply to maintain cooling systems for spent fuel rods and to run radiation monitoring equipment overseen by the IAEA.
The blackout at Chernobyl was particularly troubling because it affected the sarcophagus that prevents radioactive dust from escaping the destroyed fourth reactor, as well as storage facilities housing more than 3,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a nightly video address, did not mince words: "Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents," he said, criticizing both the UN nuclear watchdog and its director, Rafael Mariano Grossi, for what he described as weak responses to the escalating danger.
Grossi, for his part, has been in continuous talks with both Russian and Ukrainian officials, urging a swift restoration of external power to the Zaporizhzhya plant. "Both sides say that they are ready to carry out the necessary repairs on their side of the front line. But to do so, the safety situation must be improved so that technicians can do their vital work without jeopardizing their lives," Grossi explained, as reported by the IAEA. He stressed that the situation is a "nuclear safety issue and its resolution is in the common interest," calling for it to be resolved without "further delay."
The current crisis at ZNPP follows two major incidents earlier this year. In May, the 330 kV Ferrosplavnaya-1 backup line was damaged, and in September, the 750 kV Dniprovskaya line was put out of service after sustaining battle damage. These events left the plant without any external electricity, forcing a reliance on emergency generators—a stopgap measure never intended for prolonged use. The facility’s vulnerability is heightened by the ongoing conflict, which complicates repair efforts and endangers the lives of technicians on both sides of the front line.
While both Russia and Ukraine have expressed a willingness to carry out the necessary repairs, each side blames the other for the current predicament. President Zelenskyy has accused Russia of blocking repair efforts at the plant, pointing to repeated attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as evidence of a deliberate strategy to create the risk of radiation incidents. He specifically cited a wave of over 20 Shahed drones launched by Russia against energy infrastructure in Slavutych, the city that supplies power to Chernobyl. "The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on Slavutych would have such consequences for Chernobyl," Zelenskyy remarked, according to Reuters.
Russian officials, however, have firmly rejected these accusations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is ensuring safety at the ZNPP and remains in constant contact with the IAEA. President Vladimir Putin went further at a Valdai Club meeting, dismissing Ukrainian claims as "nonsense" and blaming Ukraine for attacks on the Moscow-controlled plant. He also issued a pointed warning: "On the other side, people should also understand, if they play with it like this dangerously, they still have a working nuclear power plant on their side. And what prevents us from responding in a mirror-like manner? Let them think about it."
The war, now stretching into its fourth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, shows no sign of abating. Months of U.S.-led peace efforts have failed to produce a breakthrough, and the conflict’s impact on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure has only deepened. As The Guardian reports, neither Chernobyl nor Zaporizhzhya is currently operational, but both require uninterrupted power to avoid a potential nuclear incident. A blackout not only threatens the cooling systems for spent fuel rods but also disables radiation monitoring systems, blinding the very safeguards meant to detect and prevent disaster.
The risks are not merely theoretical. In February 2025, a drone armed with a warhead struck Chernobyl’s protective outer shell, briefly igniting a fire. Fortunately, radiation levels did not increase, but the incident underscored the precariousness of nuclear safety in a war zone. The IAEA has repeatedly warned that "neither side would benefit from a nuclear accident," a sentiment echoed by Grossi, who has made it clear that the agency is doing everything in its power to mediate and facilitate repairs.
The situation on the ground remains tense and fraught with danger. Both sides have indicated a readiness to allow technicians to carry out repairs, but only if safety can be guaranteed. As Grossi noted, "the safety situation must be improved so that technicians can do their vital work without jeopardizing their lives." The IAEA director-general continues to maintain "continuous contact with Russian and Ukrainian officials to achieve this important goal as soon as possible."
The stakes could not be higher. The Zaporizhzhya plant is not only the largest in Europe but also a symbol of the broader risks posed by the ongoing conflict. Any mishap—whether from a stray shell, a drone strike, or a prolonged power outage—could have catastrophic consequences, not just for Ukraine but for the entire region. The memory of Chernobyl looms large, a grim reminder of what can happen when nuclear safety is compromised.
As the world watches anxiously, the fate of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities hangs in the balance. The international community, led by the IAEA, is working tirelessly to broker a solution, but the path forward is anything but clear. What is certain, however, is that the risks are real, the dangers immediate, and the need for action—by all parties—more urgent than ever.
The coming days will be critical. Whether diplomatic efforts can succeed in restoring power and ensuring the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear plants remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the world cannot afford another nuclear disaster.
