Ukraine struck multiple critical Russian targets overnight on 20–21 August, hitting a refinery in Rostov Oblast, a railway power substation in Voronezh Oblast, and a GRU base in occupied Crimea. Satellite data confirmed large fires at several sites, while occupation officials attempted to downplay the incidents.

Ukrainian drones hit refinery and bypass air defense in Rostov Oblast

Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ reported that drones struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov Oblast. According to the outlet, the facility was protected by two Pantsir and one Tor anti-air systems, which failed to prevent the attack. Local residents reported hearing around five explosions over the city. Russian news Telegram channel Astra confirmed that a fire broke out at the site following the drone strike.

GRU base and helicopter airfield in Sevastopol targeted

In Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukrainian drones struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s military unit #95408 in Sevastopol. Exilenova+ stated that GRU military intelligence forces are currently based there. NASA FIRMS satellite data confirmed fires at the site. Fires were also observed at the nearby Khersones airbase, which hosts Russian helicopters and drones.

Russian-installed occupation authorities claimed the explosions were part of unannounced firefighting drills conducted by the Black Sea Fleet in coordination with emergency services. Astra quoted occupation head Mikhail Razvozhayev, who urged residents to “trust only official information.” However, local social media users mocked the explanation, saying they were being treated “like fools.”

Ukrainian drones disable power substation in Voronezh Oblast

Further north, Ukraine also hit the Zhuravka railway power substation in Voronezh Oblast. Exilenova+ reported this strike, and NASA satellite data confirmed a fire at the location. Astra relayed a statement from the Russian governor, who said that more than five drones were downed over the southern districts of the oblast. He acknowledged that an energy facility had been damaged, leaving several villages without electricity and causing a number of passenger train delays.

Astra later reported that train service was restored after the incident, but highlighted that 19 trains were initially delayed due to the attack. Authorities warned that the threat of further drone strikes remained across the entire oblast.

Russia claims mass drone shoot-downs amid visible damage

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defenses had shot down 49 Ukrainian drones overnight. The ministry alleged that 21 drones were intercepted over Rostov Oblast, 7 over Voronezh Oblast, 4 over occupied Crimea, and the rest across other regions including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orel, Kursk, and Tula oblasts, as well as over the Black Sea.

Moscow adds nuclear spin as narrative deflection

Amid the fallout, Russian authorities claimed that unit #7 at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in Voronezh Oblast had been temporarily disconnected from the grid. TASS cited the Rosenergoatom press service, which denied any safety risks.

The claim came shortly after the regional governor’s vague reference to drone strikes on an “energy facility,” suggesting a possible attempt to introduce a nuclear angle to the story. 

Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced that Ukraine will make nuclear power the cornerstone of its energy strategy. The country aims to transform from energy victim to Europe’s next major electricity supplier.

“Personally, I believe that we must develop nuclear power generation. Because it ensures the stability of our energy sector; it is the type of generation that has allowed us to survive,” Minister Hrynchuk said.

The announcement signals Ukraine’s most ambitious wartime gamble: building enough nuclear capacity to replace Russian energy exports across Central and Eastern Europe while still under missile attack.

Dozens of coal and thermal plants lie destroyed or occupied, including the massive Zaporizhzhia thermal facility. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — Europe’s largest — remains under Russian control, with all six reactors shut down and about six gigawatts of Ukraine’s generating capacity unusable.

But Ukraine’s four remaining nuclear plants generated 26.8 billion kilowatt hours in the first half of 2025 — more than half the country’s electricity. According to Energoatom, the operator, they ran at over 75% capacity, proving nuclear facilities can operate effectively during wartime.

Since March 2022, Ukraine’s grid synchronization with European networks has allowed power exports when surpluses exist. More nuclear capacity would enable Ukraine to capture significant market share from Russian energy exports that previously earned Moscow roughly €100 billion annually.

Ukraine will complete two Soviet-era reactors at Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant that have been unfinished since the 1980s. Bulgaria agreed this year to sell Ukraine two VVER-1000 reactors to finish units 3 and 4, which are 75% and 28% complete, respectively.

Additionally, Ukraine plans two entirely new reactors at Khmelnytskyi using American Westinghouse AP1000 technology, permanently breaking from Russian nuclear designs. The expansion would quadruple generating capacity at the facility.

Officials say new reactors will feature reinforced containment structures and integrated air defense systems. Plants like Khmelnytskyi sit far from current front lines, offering some protection.

Energoatom, reorganized this summer as a joint-stock company, received renewed licenses following regulatory inspections. Officials say the corporate overhaul meets European standards and opens doors to international financing for the expansion projects.

Ukraine’s nuclear expansion for Europe offers clean, reliable power that could replace Russian energy imports. The timeline creates pressure — nuclear construction typically takes a decade, while Ukraine must defend facilities throughout a protracted conflict. Success would prove countries can break free from Moscow’s energy dependence while under active attack.

Ukraine will receive €42.5 million ($45.7 million) from international partners to repair the protective arch over the Chornobyl nuclear plant's destroyed reactor, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced on June 26.

A Russian Shahed-type drone struck the New Safe Confinement over Chornobyl's destroyed 4th reactor on February 14.

The structure built to contain radioactive material was damaged, no serious radiation leaks were caused.

France pledged €10.6 million ($11.4 million), the United Kingdom committed €6.9 million ($7.4 million), and the European Commission contributed €25 million ($26.9 million) toward the repairs.

"This is further evidence that Ukraine does not face its challenges alone, but has reliable friends," Hrynchuk wrote on Facebook.

The funding was announced at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) headquarters in London during a meeting of the Chornobyl International Cooperation Account Assembly of Contributors – the governing body of the fund created to address Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant issues.

Ukraine has already surveyed the building's structure and completed preparatory work, Hrynchuk said. In March, €400,000 ($430,000) was allocated from the special fund for this purpose.

The assembly discussed plans for temporary repairs and further work to fully restore the arch's integrity and functionality.

Chornobyl was the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, contaminating areas across Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

After an protective structure was built over the destroyed reactor to contain radioactive material in the months following the disaster, the current arch, an international project built as a more permanent solution, was completed in 2017.

Chornobyl isn’t safe anymore... again

Chornobyl disaster occurred in the early hours of April 26, 1986, in Soviet Ukraine. Nearly 39 years after the worst nuclear disaster in history, Russia’s brazen attack on the $2 billion New Safe Confinement (the sarcophagus enclosing the destroyed reactor) in February 2025 poses a new potential radioactive danger as engineers race to repair the damage. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post dives into why the restoration is not as simple as it may seem.

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post