The Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted nearly 900 Ukrainian drones overnight. Russia says that Ukraine has recently targeted the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is now operating on emergency diesel generators. 

On Tuesday, Russia reported its forces downed over 900 drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 650 drones had flown toward the Moscow region overnight. Russian officials said two people were killed, while Russian military bloggers reported that a major fuel facility near Moscow was hit.

President Zelensky said Ukraine is now bracing for a massive Russian attack. “We’ve got updated intel on Russia’s preparations for a massive strike,” he wrote on X. “Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond – as much as our defenses allow.”

He added that Ukraine’s defenses rely on Kiev’s allies continuing to send support. Ukraine faces a $56 billion budget shortfall in 2026, and Zelensky is pleading with allies to send more air defenses before winter. 

On Saturday, the Russian-controlled plant administration said recent Ukrainian attacks had damaged equipment supplying external power to the ZNPP, leaving the facility reliant on emergency power. The IAEA separately confirmed that recent drone attacks damaged transformers critical to the plant’s external power supply but did not say which side was responsible.

On Saturday, the plant’s management said recent Ukrainian attacks on the facility have damaged the external power supply, and the ZNPP is now relying on emergency diesel generators. Likhachev said there was no ongoing threat to nuclear safety. 

The ZNPP is not currently producing electricity, but it still requires power to cool nuclear fuel and operate other safety systems. Russia captured the ZNPP in the first days of the invasion, and the facility has been attacked by Ukraine several times.