Ukraine war keeps nuclear safety on a knife-edge, UN watchdog warns

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Attacks on Ukraine’s power system highlight how the ongoing war threatens the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Friday. 

Russian forces have been carrying out strikes on critical infrastructure amid freezing winter temperatures as their full-scale invasion approaches the four-year mark next month. 

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said the electrical grid was again the target of military activity this past weekend, leading to significant impacts to several regions and nuclear power plant operations. 

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Power lines down 

The fighting caused power lines linking Ukraine with neighbouring countries to be disconnected, which in turn knocked out supplies inside Ukraine.  

As a result, a unit at one nuclear power plant disconnected from the grid due to fluctuations and automatically shut down, while other units at other plants were forced to reduce power. 

The Chornobyl site – where the world’s worst nuclear disaster occurred in 1986 – experienced a complete loss of offsite power and relied on its emergency diesel generators for roughly an hour. 

‘Ever-present risks’ 

“This latest grid event in Ukraine is a stark reminder of the ever-present risks to nuclear safety and security arising from deteriorating grid conditions,” said Mr. Grossi. 

He stressed that extensive repairs are needed to improve the reliability of power supply to nuclear power plants and strengthen their resilience. 

“Once again, I call for maximum military restraint, as well as full observance of the Seven Indispensable Pillars to enable these essential repairs to take place.” 

Seven safety principles 

The IAEA developed the seven pillars for nuclear safety in Ukraine in March 2022, just weeks after the war began – the first time ever that armed conflict has occurred amid the facilities of a major nuclear power programme. 

Measures include maintaining the physical integrity of facilities, ensuring offsite power supply from the energy grid, and implementing effective radiation monitoring systems. 

Operating staff must also be able to fulfill their safety and security duties and to make decisions without any undue pressure. 

Vital inspections 

As military activity increases impacting the electricity grid in Ukraine, three IAEA teams are conducting a two-week mission visiting 10 substations critical to nuclear safety and security.  

The objective is to assess the continuing damage to the grid, review repair efforts and identify practical steps to strengthen the resilience of off-site power supplies to nuclear power plants.  

This marks the second IAEA mission in as many months.  A mission this past December confirmed the effects of cumulative impacts on nuclear power plant operations and staff conditions. 

WHO appeals for funding to protect healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking $42 million in 2026 to help protect access to healthcare for 700,000 people in Ukraine, as the war enters its fifth year. The appeal aims to sustain emergency and trauma care, maintain essential primary services and support medical evacuations for patients requiring specialised treatment.

Ongoing hostilities continue to undermine the health system. Since early 2022, WHO has verified more than 2,800 attacks on healthcare, while repeated strikes on energy infrastructure have disrupted power supplies, affecting hospitals and clinics across the country.

Health needs are also deepening. More than two thirds of Ukrainians report worse health than before the war, with mental health concerns affecting nearly half the population, according to WHO assessments. Despite the risks, health workers continue to provide care in frontline and hard-to-reach areas.

“Ukraine’s humanitarian health needs remain immense, and the pressure on the health system is not easing,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, stressing the importance of sustaining essential services as funding becomes increasingly constrained.

Last year, WHO helped nearly two million people access care, medicines and emergency support, including through more than 1,200 medical evacuations from frontline areas.