Putin is reportedly plotting mass missile strikes to knock three Ukrainian nuclear plants off the grid this winter

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026.

Vladimir Putin has allegedly drawn up a three-stage winter offensive using a combined arsenal of up to 1,000 missiles, drones and aerial bombs to sever Ukraine's nuclear power plants from the national grid. Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal presented what he called an "intercepted Russian plan" to European partners in Paris roughly two weeks ago. The document, dated August and written in Russian, singles out electrical switchyards within a mile of the reactors at the Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyi plants. The strikes are designed to strip Ukraine of close to 15 gigawatts of generating capacity — approximately its entire summer supply.

The alleged plan's first stage would cut western substations importing European electricity, before moving to hydroelectric plants and finally the three nuclear facilities.

Meanwhile, an 88-year-old villager named Hanna Panych refused to flee her goats and survived months of bombardment alone in Ukraine's devastated northern 'grey zone'.