Reuters has learned about the possible scale of a blackout in Ukraine in the event of an attack on nuclear power plant substations

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia plans to deprive Ukrainians of nuclear energy by planning strikes on substations that supply this energy to consumers, which will lead to a complete power outage across the country, writes Reuters.

Currently, three nuclear power plants are operating in Ukraine, with a total capacity of 7.7 GW. The Zaporizhzhia NPP, occupied by Russia, is not operational. The generation deficit is 10 GW, and it is only partially compensated by imports. Therefore, the authorities are introducing large-scale power outages, during which entire regions are left without electricity for many hours.

Nuclear energy provides up to 80% of Ukraine's electricity. The country has practically no other undamaged generating capacities left. Since most of the thermal energy production has been disabled by Russian attacks, the elimination of generation from nuclear power plants will lead to the collapse of urban infrastructure.

Zelenskyy says that domestic production and imports currently cover about 60% of demand.

Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev stated in Davos that Russian shelling since October 2025 has damaged 8.5 GW of Ukraine's generating capacity, including thermal and hydroelectric power plants.

Nuclear power units are useless without powerful substations that can supply the generated electricity to high-voltage grids and then, through smaller substations, to consumers.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Center for Energy Research, stated that 10 key substations transport more than half of the electricity consumed by the country from nuclear power plants. Some are located near nuclear power plants. Others are tens or even hundreds of kilometers away.

Kharchenko says that there have been no strikes on substations near nuclear power plants so far, but Russia has attacked substations far from power units more than 60 times.

The attacks targeted rare, powerful transformers, but they are protected, and only auxiliary equipment was damaged as a result of the strikes. Typically, it takes several days to repair such damage and restore the substation to operation, says Kharchenko.

However, nuclear power plants have been forced to reduce the power of their nuclear reactors many times due to such attacks.

Energy experts say the consequences of a missile strike on substations located near nuclear reactors are unpredictable, because an explosion, even if it does not damage the reactor itself, can damage the piping system containing radioactive water and other nuclear equipment.

Some substations are located a few hundred meters from the reactors, and a strike against them could have unpredictable consequences.

The reactors themselves are built of thick concrete and are not easily penetrated by a drone, although a fire could damage other vulnerable parts of the power plant. However, they would not withstand a ballistic missile strike.

Kharchenko says that Russian missiles aimed at substations could simply hit a reactor or damage other key equipment – primarily kilometers of pipelines transporting radioactive water, turbine equipment, or the nuclear power plant's control systems.

• Russian troops on January 20 hit on electrical substations, which are key to ensuring Ukraine's nuclear safety, the IAEA said.