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News Topical, Digital Desk : A major crisis has struck the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The plant, which witnessed the world's largest civilian nuclear disaster, was suddenly cut off from external power on Tuesday morning.
The IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, confirmed this in a post on X. "There have been large-scale drone and missile attacks by the Russian military, damaging several vital power substations in Ukraine. These substations are crucial for nuclear security," the statement said.
The external power supply to the Chernobyl plant was completely cut off, while power lines to some other nuclear power plants were also affected. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said they were monitoring the situation and assessing the impact on nuclear safety.
Russian attack leaves Kyiv cold
Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine on Tuesday morning using drones and missiles. The attack targeted Ukraine's energy system. Thousands of apartment buildings in the city of Kyiv were left without electricity and heating, leaving residents facing severe hardship amid the intense cold. Ukrainian officials said the attack severely disrupted power and water supplies.
The attack wasn't limited to Chernobyl. Energy infrastructure in many other places in Ukraine was also damaged. The Chernobyl plant was the site of a devastating 1986 reactor accident, which released a massive amount of radioactive material. Now, the power outage has increased safety concerns.
A major accident was averted due to the backup system.
Although the plant is completely shut down and decommissioned, it still requires electricity to cool the spent fuel. The plant's own backup generators and other systems were activated when external power was lost.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy later stated that Chernobyl's power supply had been restored. All facilities are now connected normally to Ukraine's United Energy System.
There is currently no direct threat to the environment or people. However, the IAEA has warned that such attacks could pose a significant risk to nuclear security. Ukraine has also called for an emergency meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors to assess the impact of the Russian attacks.
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