The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned Thursday that a Russian missile and drone attack on Ukrainian power plants had jeopardized nuclear safety. Russia has battered Ukrainian energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure as part of its on-going full-scale invasion, and the latest attack on Thursday included more than 650 drones and 50 missiles, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian authorities said at least six people were killed in the strikes, including a 7-year-old girl, and that children between 2 and 16 were among the 18 people wounded. The attack also forced power outages and restrictions in all parts of the country.
The targets included the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, and those in Khmelnitsky and Rivne, which all reported damage to “substations critical to nuclear safety and security in Ukraine,” the IAEA said in a statement on Thursday.
“The dangers to nuclear safety continue to be very real and ever-present,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned amid the ongoing strikes. “I once again call for maximum military restraint in the vicinity of nuclear facilities.”
Alina Smutko/REUTERS
Zelenskyy, in a social media statement, said Russian forces had targeted civilians and energy facilities in nine regions and the capital Kyiv with the strikes.
“We count on America, Europe, and the G7 countries not to ignore Moscow’s intent to destroy everything,” he said, calling for more sanctions to pressure Russia to end its invasion.
National electricity operator Ukrenergo said the attack had put its energy system in a “difficult situation” and that power outages would last across the country until late Thursday, right as the cold winter weather starts to bite. “Round-the-clock” blackouts would also be introduced in all regions on Friday, Ukrenergo said.
“Russia continues its systematic energy terror — striking at the lives, dignity, and warmth of Ukrainians on the eve of winter. Its goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness; ours is to keep the light on,” Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. “To stop this terror, Ukraine needs more air defense systems, tougher sanctions, and maximum pressure on (Russia).”
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The Russian defense ministry said a “massive” missile and drone attack was launched against Ukrainian military-industrial sites, energy infrastructure and airbases.
The ministry said, meanwhile, that it had downed 170 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 48 in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, and nine in the region surrounding the capital Moscow.
President Trump has tried to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine since he returned to the White House in January, but the talks have made little progress.