Bombing and caused energy cuts in areas of the territory controlled by Russia in the regions of Zaporizehzia and Kherson, in southern Ukraine, Russian officials said on Tuesday morning (3), local time.
Authorities said there was no impact on Zaporizehzia’s nuclear plant operations – Europe’s largest nuclear installation, which was taken by Russia in the weeks after February 2022.
The Russian authorities who run the plant said that radiation levels were normal in the installation, which operates in a shutdown mode and does not produce energy at the moment.
Russian governors in both regions said the Ukrainian attacks led authorities to introduce emergency measures and transfer important places to reserve energy sources.
The power supply was interrupted in all parts of Zaporizehzia under Russian control, wrote Russian governor Yevgeny Belitsky on Telegram.
“As a result of the bombing of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, high voltage equipment was damaged in the northwest part of the Zaporizehzia region,” said Belitsky.
“There is no electricity throughout the region. The Ministry of Energy of the Zaporizehzia region has received instructions to develop reserve energy sources. Medical care sites were transferred to reserve energy sources,” he added.
In Kerson’s adjacent region, the west, Russia -appointed governor Vladimir Saldo said that wreckage of fallen drones damaged two substations, leaving more than 100,000 residents of 150 cities and villages in areas controlled by Russia without energy.
Emergency teams work to restore energy quickly, he said.
For many months in winter, it was the Ukrainian cities and villages that suffered repeated energy cuts, while Russian attacks concentrated their attacks on generation capacity.
Each side repeatedly accused the other of launching attacks on Zaprizhzia’s nuclear power plant and risking a nuclear accident.
The UN Nuclear International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), said last week, in response to a Ukrainian complaint, who saw no sign that Russia was preparing to reactivate the Zaprizzhzia plant and connect it to the Russian power grid.
The AIEA has permanently installed monitors in Zaporizehzia and other nuclear plants in Ukraine.
