Shmyhal: Russia directed three drones at a substation critical to the operation of the Khmelnytskyi NPP

Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on November 3 that Russia directed three drones at a substation critical to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant.

According to the minister, energy facilities were Russia's main targets during today's massive attack. At a meeting with the ambassadors of the G7 and European Union countries, Shmyhal stressed that such actions pose a threat to Europe's nuclear safety. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed of the attack.

On the same day, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said an energy hub in the capital had been damaged and described the city's power supply situation as extremely difficult. In Kyiv, tram and trolleybus services are being suspended from the evening of November 3 due to the critical situation in the energy system caused by Russian strikes.

The Khmelnytskyi NPP is located in western Ukraine, near the city of Netishyn in Khmelnytskyi region, far from the front line.

On November 8, 2025, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that during a massive attack on energy infrastructure on the night of November 7 to 8, Russia had targeted the substations supplying the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne NPPs. Sybiha then called for an urgent meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors.

Throughout the war, the IAEA has repeatedly warned that military activity near nuclear facilities in Ukraine carries serious risks.