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Moscow Plans to Cut Power to Millions by Hitting Ukraine’s Nuclear Grid, Intelligence Reports
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia is considering a campaign of targeted strikes against key substations that support the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants in an effort to force Kyiv into accepting unfavorable peace terms, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR).
In a public statement released on January 17, 2026, via the agency’s Telegram channel, HUR stated that Moscow is weighing attacks on high-voltage transmission infrastructure connected to Ukraine’s nuclear power generation as part of a broader pressure strategy.
“To compel Ukraine to accept unacceptable capitulation terms for ending the war, the aggressor state Russia is considering attacking strategic objects of the national energy system—specifically, power substations that enable the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants,” the intelligence agency reported.
According to the intelligence briefing, Russia’s objective is to sever nuclear power units from the country’s unified energy system. The destruction or disabling of the substations could lead to widespread blackouts and heating failures across Ukraine, particularly during winter.
The agency emphasized that such operations would amount to a hybrid tactic aimed at undermining Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure without directly striking the nuclear reactors themselves.
HUR also reported that as of mid-January 2025, Russian military reconnaissance had identified ten substations in nine Ukrainian regions that are considered key nodes in the transmission of nuclear-generated electricity. These facilities were flagged as potential targets for future strikes.
In addition to attempting to degrade Ukraine’s ability to power civilian life, the intelligence report indicated that the Kremlin also intends to use the threat of such attacks to intimidate European and Western governments.
“Russia plans to intensify its intimidation of European countries and the West in general to restrain their support for Ukraine,” the agency noted.
The warning follows a series of previous Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including air strikes and drone assaults targeting thermal power plants, substations, and energy storage facilities since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine operates four nuclear power plants, including the Zaporizhzhia facility currently occupied by Russian forces. Other plants—Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and South Ukraine — remain under Kyiv’s control and are essential to meeting civilian and industrial energy demands.
Earlier, on January 15, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced plans to convene an “Energy Ramstein” meeting to coordinate international support for Ukraine’s power sector, severely damaged by ongoing Russian strikes. The initiative aims to secure new aid packages and deliver critical equipment to the hardest-hit regions.
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