On the night of 2-3 January, the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost power to one of its high-voltage lines due to Russian shelling, according to the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
The plant has been occupied since 2022. It has enough capacity to cover the annual electricity needs of countries like Ireland, Slovakia, or Finland.
This marks the 12th blackout at ZNPP since the start of the full-scale Russian war, with the previous outage occurring less than a month ago.
Testing control: Russia intentionally disrupts ZNPP
According to energy specialists, Russia is not only shelling the power lines but is also testing the connection of ZNPP to its own energy system under conditions of occupation and active combat. The situation highlights the constant threat to the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
Mykolaiv and Kherson hit
During the night, the Russian military also struck the energy infrastructure in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. As a result, residents of Mykolaiv were left without electricity, and in Kherson, the local Kherson Thermal Power Plant was damaged.
Emergency restoration works are ongoing in Odesa and Kyiv regions, where power is being restored after previous attacks.
Frontline and border regions remain in darkness
The most severe electricity shortages are in frontline and border regions, where residents remain without power for extended periods. Ongoing combat operations complicate restoration efforts.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy advises Ukrainians to follow the latest blackout schedules on the websites of regional energy providers.
