Russian attack on Kharkiv forces “Neutron Source” nuclear facility to switch to emergency generators
Following a Russian attack on Kharkiv, the nuclear subcritical facility “Neutron Source” operated on an emergency generator during the night of March 11–12.
This was reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) informed the IAEA that during the night of March 11–12, as a result of attacks aimed at an electrical substation near the ‘Neutron Source’ subcritical facility at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT), the site was disconnected from the power grid until March 13. During this outage, the facility was powered by emergency diesel generators,” the statement said.
This is not the first time the facility has lost power due to Russian strikes.
Since the beginning of the war, Russian forces have repeatedly shelled the National Science Center “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology,” where the experimental nuclear facility is located. The first damage to the building was recorded on the evening of March 10, 2022.
Earlier, on March 17, 2022, the facility was de-energized due to Russian shelling, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) opened criminal proceedings under Article 441 — ecocide. Damage was again recorded on June 25, 2022. On April 4, 2024, the facility lost external power following Shahed drone strikes.
In February 2024, five Russian military commanders — including three generals and two colonels — were formally charged with ordering attacks on the National Science Center “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology,” which houses the nuclear subcritical facility and a nuclear materials storage site.
According to law enforcement, in 2022 alone, Russian forces carried out 74 strikes on the research facility using various weapons.
Those charged include:
- Colonel General Alexander Zhuravlyov, commander of Russia’s Western Military District, and four of his subordinates;
- Lieutenant General Oleg Makovetsky, commander of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army;
- Lieutenant General Vladyslav Yershov, commander of the 6th Combined Arms Army;
- Colonel Pavlo Pilyukov, commander of the 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade;
- Colonel Yevhen Herashchenko, commander of the 79th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have also carried out a series of attacks on settlements across the Sumy region, killing three people and injuring 13 others. Law enforcement agencies are documenting the shelling as war crimes.
On the night of March 20, Russian forces launched a drone attack on a port in the Odesa region, damaging two civilian commercial vessels flying the flags of Palau and Barbados. The ships were carrying grain.
Over the same period, Russian forces carried out 16 attacks on the Nikopol and Synelnykove districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring two people.
