This winter, Ukraine risks losing its nuclear energy – Politico

The upcoming winter could be a turning point for Ukraine due to the risk of losing its nuclear power industry.

This information reported according to the American publication Politico.

The article states that Russia is adapting its airstrike tactics, and the delivery of Iranian “Fateh-360” ballistic missiles to Russia will aid in this effort. Ukrainian officials expect Russia to use these missiles, which have a range of 120 kilometers, in addition to their glide bombs in the near rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“This, in turn, will allow Russia to focus its own longer-range missiles on civilian infrastructure, particularly the energy system, in an attempt to break it,” the Ukrainian government believes.

The newspaper notes that key substations supplying Ukrainian nuclear power plants in Rivne, Khmelnytskyi and South Ukraine are being targeted. If these are knocked out, the reactors would need to be shut down quickly, or they could explode, according to energy expert Mykhailo Honchar.

Shutting down these three nuclear power plants would reduce Ukraine’s combat capabilities, collapse the economy, and weaken its position if peace talks ever begin.

“Ukrainian officials hope that the prospect of an energy system collapse will ultimately outweigh Washington’s concerns about escalation,” the publication writes.