ISTANBUL

Ukraine accused Russia of “deliberately” launching an airstrike that cut power to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the border with Belarus, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said lasted for over three hours.

The blackout was reported by the Ukrainian Energy Ministry late Wednesday, which said a Russian airstrike in the city of Slavutych, Kyiv region resulted in the cut, leaving the New Safe Confinement structure at the plant without power supply.

Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said power supply to active facilities at the site were fully restored following work from specialists, adding that radiation levels did not exceed control levels and there were no threats to the local population.

Commenting on the incident in a statement on the US social media company X, Zelenskyy accused Russia of a “deliberate” strike which caused the over three-hour blackout and claimed more than 20 drones were involved in the attack.

“Some of these drones were shot down, but the attack was specifically executed as a wave to complicate the facility’s defense,” he added.

Situated near the now-abandoned city of Pripyat, the Chornobyl plant is the site of an incident considered to be the world's worst nuclear disaster. An explosion at the plant’s fourth reactor in 1986 resulted in the spread of radioactive material over the surrounding territory, prompting the Soviet Union to create an exclusion zone with a radius of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).

A structure called the New Safe Confinement was built in 2016, isolating the plant’s destroyed fourth reactor and preventing radioactive releases as the facility undergoes decommissioning, which has been taking place since 2015.

The Ukrainian president also touched on the ongoing outage at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, reaffirming Kyiv’s accusation against Moscow over causing a blackout at the facility.

“Russia is intentionally creating a risk of radiological incidents, taking advantage, unfortunately, of the weak stance of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and Director General Rafael Grossi, as well as the dispersed global attention,” he said.

Zelenskyy argued that “half-hearted or weak” measures will not fix the situation, reiterating that Moscow seeks to prolong the ongoing war, and warning of the risk of potential strikes on other nuclear power plants.

“It is crucial that European countries, the United States, and the G7 and G20 nations take real action for peace and security to the fullest extent possible. Strong response and appropriate pressure on Russia are required to protect human life,” he added.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have been accusing each other since last week of triggering the 10th and longest power outage experienced at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since the start of the over three-and-a-half-year Russia-Ukraine war.

The plant has been under Russian control since March 2022, with the situation around the facility particularly remaining tense as concerns persist over a possible nuclear disaster. Since Sept. 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been present at the plant.

Russian authorities did not immediately comment on Ukrainian claims.