Briefly
On February 7, Russian strikes were aimed not only at specific targets — among the objectives was infrastructure on which the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants directly depends. The consequence: reduced generation, significant network damage and the automatic shutdown of one nuclear unit. This is a security issue for Ukraine and for all of Europe.
President's position
“The Russians deliberately struck, in particular, energy facilities on which the operation of Ukrainian nuclear stations depends, which puts at risk not only our security in Ukraine but also the shared security of the region and Europe. This is a level of strikes that no terrorist in the world would have allowed themselves.”
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
What happened technically
According to the Ministry of Energy and reports from operational services, the occupiers attacked substations, power lines and thermal power plants (notably Burshtyn and Dobrotvir). As a result of the strikes, a number of energy components suffered significant damage, causing several nuclear units to be operated at reduced capacity and one unit to automatically shut down.
The Air Force reported: during the attack Moscow employed 408 drones and 39 missiles — defenders were able to counter 382 drones and 24 missiles. These figures illustrate the scale of the attack and the load on air defense systems and emergency services.
Why targeting energy and NPPs is intentional
Analysts and Ukrainian intelligence (including a GUR report of 17 January) warned of scenarios in which Russia considers strikes on substations that supply NPPs in order to apply political pressure on Kyiv. The aim of such a campaign is to reduce the state's resilience, increase humanitarian and industrial pressure, and create risks that go beyond the combat zone (nuclear and transboundary energy threats).
What is being done and what should be done
The president and government emphasized three directions: strengthening mobile fire groups and defensive components in the area of energy infrastructure, accelerating packages of international assistance for air defense and energy resilience, and deploying support programs for affected communities.
Zelenskyy called on partners to “look soberly” at these risks and act accordingly — that is, not only verbally, but by delivering concrete air defense systems, recovery equipment, and measures to increase energy resilience.
What this means for people and for Europe
In the short term — more outages, strain on reserve capacities and risks to critical facilities. In the medium term — a need for rapid delivery of equipment, spare components and funding for restoration. For Europe this is a signal: strikes on Ukraine's energy sector have cross-border consequences and require coordinated assistance to avoid escalation of industrial/technogenic risks.
Conclusion
This was not a random attack — it is an element of a pressure strategy that uses energy and the risk to nuclear facilities as a lever. The response must be systemic: reinforced defense of critical infrastructure, rapid international assistance in air defense and energy resilience, and diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Now the ball is in the partners' court: declarations must turn into concrete deliveries and measures that will reduce risks for Ukraine and all of Europe.
