Russians target critical nuclear power infrastructure during massive missile and drone attack
Russia directed three drones at a substation critical to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant during a massive attack on 3 November 2026, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal stated. The Ukrainian authorities have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the attack.
Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant“Such actions create a threat not only for Ukraine but also for the nuclear safety of all of Europe,” he said.
He described the attack as a serious escalation and called on international partners to respond to strikes on the infrastructure that ensures the stable operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
In total, Russia used 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles during the massive bombardment. The main targets were power stations and electrical transmission and distribution substations.
Overnight and on the morning of 3 November, Russian occupying forces carried out another massive attack on three DTEK thermal power plants with dozens of missiles and drones, the DTEK press service reported.
“The destruction is massive. The stations have stopped generating electricity,” the statement reads.
DTEK did not specify which regions the thermal power plants were attacked in. In the morning, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said a thermal power plant was hit in the city’s Samarskyi district.
On 13 October, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced an agreement with the IAEA to send missions to 19 Ukrainian electrical substations.
Keep up with ZMINA on X, Bluesky and LinkedIn – and help us improve by answering a few quick questions here about our English-language coverage.
