Kyiv [Ukraine], January 18 (ANI): Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Saturday said Russia is planning “dangerous strikes” on substations that supply the country’s nuclear power plants, in an effort to deprive Ukraine of electricity during the freezing winter.
In a post on X, Sybiha said intelligence had confirmed plans for potential Russian strikes, warning that such actions could have catastrophic consequences.
“According to our intelligence, Russia is planning dangerous strikes on substations that supply Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Moscow knows no limits in its genocidal goal of depriving Ukrainians of power amid a freezing winter,” Sybiha said.
He added that Ukraine is sharing relevant intelligence with international partners and stressed the urgent need for the global community, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and major powers that prioritize nuclear safety, to issue clear warnings to Russia.
“We are sharing relevant data with partners, warning of the potentially disastrous consequences. It is high time for the world, including the IAEA and major global powers that value nuclear safety, to speak up and issue clear warnings to Moscow and force it to abandon such reckless plans,” he said.
The foreign minister’s warning comes amid heightened fighting on the eastern front, as Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have increased in recent months in what Kyiv says is an effort to deprive the country of power during winter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also addressed the issue, saying there was “ample information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks that serve our nuclear power plants.”
“Each such Russian strike on the energy sector amid such a harsh winter weakens and undermines the efforts of key states, in particular the United States, to end this war. Ukraine is being as constructive as possible in diplomacy, while Russia is focused only on strikes and on tormenting people,” Zelenskyy said.
According to Al Jazeera, citing Ukraine’s military General Staff, Russian forces have suffered an estimated 1,225,590 personnel losses since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The report also cited extensive equipment losses, including tanks, armored fighting vehicles, artillery systems, aircraft, helicopters, drones, and naval assets, though casualty figures from both sides remain difficult to independently verify.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed Ukrainian forces lost about 1,305 personnel over the past 24 hours, adding that Russian air defence systems intercepted 214 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones and two long-range Neptune missiles, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
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