Limited Power: Russia’s Nuclear Power Plant Attacks on Ukraine
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been extremely high for years and although recent progress of peace negotiations have opened up the possibility of a better future for the two, we have yet to see a decrease in targeted attacks.
President Donald Trump pushed forward peace negotiations after proposing a plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Part of the peace plan proposed by Trump includes giving Ukraine security guarantees for a 15 year period with possibility of extension. These guarantees would have to be agreed upon by the U.S. and parliaments in several other countries involved, however, holding a ballot requires a ceasefire of at least 60 days and it seems that Moscow has no intention of agreeing to a truce without full settlement.
Hours before Ukraine was set to meet with the United States for a third day of peace talks, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched several missiles and drones at Ukraine on December 6. Over 50 missiles and 650 drones were used to hit 29 locations in the attack.
Russia also hit Ukrainian power facilities, including Russian occupied nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia. This facility is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that this caused a temporary loss of “all off-site power overnight.” This is not the first time Russia has targeted the Zaporizhzhia plant, the tenth full blackout at Zaporizhzhia NPP since the start of the war was reported on September 23. This blackout lasted an entire month before power was restored as Russian forces deliberately did not connect the plant back to Ukraine’s power grid.
Although striking energy infrastructure has been a common practice by both sides in order to strain each other's supplies and leave many without heat during the brutal winter, it has also led to several instances of jeopardized nuclear safety.
An attack on October 30 using more than 650 drones and 50 missiles led to IAEA publishing statements that reported damage to “substations critical to nuclear safety and security in Ukraine.”
After Russia destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Zaporizhzhia plant has faced issues with its cooling water supply. The plant is now relying on diesel generators, a cooling pond, and groundwater wells for cooling, but these are insufficient methods for critical conditions caused by more attacks.
While both sides want control of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the plant is a critical piece in ensuring Ukraine maintains post-war energy independence as its six gigawatts capacity supplied a quarter of the country’s energy needs before the war. The peace proposal from Trump suggests a joint management situation by the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine moving forward, though Zelenskyy has rejected this idea and countered with the idea of joint management by just the U.S. and Ukraine.
On December 23, Russia continued targeted airstrikes on 13 regions in Ukraine using around 650 drones and 3 dozen missiles, resulting in mass blackouts, fires, and the death of at least 3 civilians. These strikes came as Russia officials met for peace talks in Miami with US negotiators.
Ukraine and Russia eventually agreed on a localized ceasefire near the Zaporizhzhia NPP on December 28th so that repair work on power transmission lines near the plant could begin and external electricity supply to the plant could be restored.
Later that night, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukraine launched a strike on Putin’s residence in the northwestern Novgorod region. The attack was said to have taken place overnight from December 28 to 29 using 91 long-range drones with no casualties or damage reported.
Zelenskyy has denounced this claim, calling it “another lie” and citing nerves around the growing peace negotiation progress as reasoning behind the lie.
At a joint press conference with Zelenskyy on December 29th, Trump announced that Putin has made a major concession regarding attacks on the Zaporizhzhia plant.
“We discussed it at length today, It’s in pretty good shape. It can start almost immediately,” Trump said. “President Putin is actually working with Ukraine on getting it open. That’s a big step when he’s not bombing that plant.”
If it is chosen for the U.S. and Ukraine to operate the plant as a joint venture, it is possible for the U.S. to transfer or sell their stake to Russia, though this option would likely be greeted by major opposition from Russia because of their want to have full control over the plant.
