The Russians hinted at attacks against Ukrainian nuclear power plants but forgot about Kursk
Kyiv • UNN
After the Zaporizhzhia NPP was disconnected from the power grid, a Russian channel hinted at similar scenarios for other plants. A Ukrainian channel reminded them about the Kursk NPP.
After yet another power outage at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a Russian propaganda Telegram channel hinted at the possibility of similar incidents at other Ukrainian nuclear power plants. In response, a Ukrainian Telegram channel reminded readers about the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in the Russian Federation, which supplies a significant portion of the electricity consumed in three Russian regions, reports UNN.
Details
On Sunday, November 8, the Russian Telegram channel "Two Majors" published a report about the loss of external power supply at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The propagandists said that, following damage to the 330 kV "Ferosplavna-1" overhead power line, the plant was switched to backup diesel generators. The channel's authors then posed a question that could be interpreted as a veiled hint at possible attacks against the energy infrastructure of other Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
If this happened to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, what would prevent a similar scenario from occurring at the Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, or South Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which currently provide about 60% of the enemy's electricity generation?
The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ responded to this statement, reminding Russian propagandists about the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, located near the Ukrainian border. It noted that the Kursk NPP supplies more than 80% of the electricity needs of Russia's Kursk, Oryol, and Belgorod regions.
Context
At 2:36 a.m. on November 8, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost power from the last operating power line, "Ferosplavna-1." According to Energoatom, this was already the 16th instance of a complete loss of the plant's external power supply since the beginning of 2026. The company warned that operating the plant solely on backup diesel generators poses a threat to nuclear and radiation safety. If the generators fail or their fuel runs out, the systems for cooling the nuclear fuel could stop operating.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for its part, reported that the cause and location of the latest damage to the power supply are currently unknown.
The ZNPP has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Ukraine has repeatedly stressed that restoring full nuclear and radiation safety at the facility is possible only after the plant is returned to Ukrainian control.
Reminder
Russia is intensifying missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, seeking to inflict maximum damage on its economy ahead of a new round of peace talks mediated by the United States. In addition to energy infrastructure, industrial enterprises, seaports, railways, and logistics centers are increasingly coming under attack.