Russian Drones and Missiles Fly Near Chernobyl Site

All six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are currently turned off.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has experienced several losses of continuous power supply for its safety functions. The plant is highly understaffed, with most workers from Russian facilities rather than Energoatom. Energoatom is the Ukrainian state nuclear company that operated the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant before Russian occupation.

Volodymyr Kholosha stated that the Zaporizhzhia site and its power units have been mined with explosives. Moscow and Rosatom have made clear plans to connect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the Russian electricity system. Kholosha has worked in ministerial roles for nuclear protection in the Ukrainian government.

“Russia has failed to learn the lessons of Chernobyl,” Volodymyr Kholosha said. He warned that Russia’s actions around Zaporizhzhia threaten to cause direct damage to the facility, which could lead to an uncontrolled radiation release. Alexandra Bell, president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, stated that failures by world leaders to engage in dialogue to reduce nuclear risks represent a dereliction of duty.

“We are extremely close to any number of potential catastrophes in the nuclear space,” Bell said. The Doomsday Clock was placed at 85 seconds to midnight in January 2026. Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, said Rosatom must be prevented from trying to restart one or more of the reactors at Zaporizhzhia.

“The overall priority of the international community, European governments, and the IAEA must be to end Russia’s illegal occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – they must not be permitted to retain control of the plant under any circumstances,” Burnie stated. Experts have warned of a collapse in safety maintenance at the plant, including ineffective regulation and a reduced workforce. U.S.

Government. “It’s astounding that they would take such actions against a facility that could cause quite a dangerous accident,” she said. Necessary maintenance and repairs at the plant are not being done, causing gradual failure of vital equipment, Kholosha warned.

Kholosha’s life has been linked with Chernobyl, increasing his fears of a repeat disaster. “We are seeing a dangerous lowering of the threshold for nuclear blackmail. When leaders openly threaten the use of nuclear weapons, it undermines the global system of deterrence,” Kholosha said.

Bell noted that the world is entering a new nuclear age with no active efforts to reduce risks posed by nuclear weapons and attacks on facilities. “We've seen dangerous periods in our history over and over again, but we've also seen leaders take the effort to reduce these risks even despite the difficulties of making agreements with adversaries,” Bell said.

She added that even in the darkest days of the Cold War, discussions on strategic stability occurred, but none are seen now.