On January 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal simultaneously issued warnings about a new military move from Russia.
Accordingly, Moscow is said to be completing preparations for a large-scale attack to paralyze the national power grid. This statement was made less than a week after Mr. Zelensky declared a state of emergency in the energy sector.
In a speech on the same evening, the Ukrainian leader emphasized: "In the coming days, we must be extremely vigilant. Russia has prepared for a strong blow and is waiting for an opportunity to implement it".
Mr. Zelensky called on people to pay attention to air defense warning signals, and at the same time directed localities to urgently develop response plans.
Regarding target details, Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal said that the upcoming attack will target the energy infrastructure, including substations serving nuclear power plants.
Mr. Shmyhal said that he had informed the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi of the situation. The two sides agreed to soon hold a meeting with power plant managers and IAEA missions at the site to assess risks.
The latest warning from Kiev is consistent with a report by the Ukrainian National Defense Intelligence Service (HUR) announced on January 17.
This agency believes that Moscow plans to destroy transformer stations linked to 3 operating nuclear power plants in western and southern Ukraine. The strategic goal is to completely cut off electricity supply and heating for people.
The campaign to attack energy infrastructure that has lasted for many months has forced Ukraine to apply alternate power cuts to avoid system overload. Millions of people are directly affected in the harsh winter weather.
Just before Mr. Zelensky issued a warning, Russia carried out night attacks on energy infrastructure in 5 provinces, including Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk, causing widespread power outages in these areas.
