The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Tuesday that Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid or substations could disrupt supply and pose the risk of a nuclear accident.
Rafael Grossi was in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he visited Kyivska electrical substation, a structure he described in a post on the social media platform X as "an important part of Ukraine's power grid essential for nuclear safety."
During his tour of the substation, Grossi said that"the situation is quite dire. ... We should not hide the fact that as you can see ... this infrastructure has been degraded."
He also said he was"impressed" with the work now being done "to ensure nuclear safety."
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that current and former Ukrainian government officials told the news agency that despite more than a year of warnings, Ukraine's Energy Ministry had not acted swiftly to protect the country's vulnerable nuclear energy infrastructure.
All that changed in the fall, however, when the country's intelligence agencies warned about possible Russian strikes on Ukraine's nuclear transmission facilities. Ukraine started building new protections, but analysts told AP the new efforts would be too late in the event of a strike.
AP reports that Russia's strikes on Ukraine's power grid have left the Eastern European country dependent on nuclear power for more than half of its electricity generation.
Lawmakers have called for the removal of Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko, citing several grievances, including corruption, but his removal must be voted on by parliament.
Russian missile hits Kharkiv, says Ukraine
A Russian missile attack Tuesday killed at least five people and injured 55 in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, officials said.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram the missile hit the central part of the city of Izium.
Syniehubov said the attack damaged a five-story residential building as well as multiple administrative buildings.
Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said Russian drone attacks overnight damaged houses and other buildings in multiple regions.
This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian State Emergency Service on Feb. 2, 2025, shows firefighters putting out a fire in the Eastern Ukraine Sumy region following a Russian strike.
Ukraine's military said its air defenses shot down 37 of the 65 drones that Russian forces launched in the attacks, with intercepts taking place in the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Poltava and Sumy regions.
The Sumy Regional Military Administration said the attacks damaged eight houses and a school in the region.
Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets said on Telegram that debris from destroyed drones caused fires at three businesses.
In Kyiv, officials said falling drone debris damaged several schools and a clinic.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday its air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian guided missile over the Sea of Azov.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.