Russia plans largest strikes on Ukraine's energy grid, including nuclear plants, NYT reports

Russia is preparing its largest campaign of strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure since the war began, involving up to 1,000 missiles, drones, and bombs, according to a New York Times report based on a Ukrainian government plan shown to European allies. The plan, a copy of which NYT says it obtained, targets electrical substations, hydroelectric and thermal plants, and boiler houses. It also includes strikes on water supply systems, with the goal of cutting electricity and heating by up to 90% in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa, potentially triggering a humanitarian crisis. Most alarmingly, Russia intends to force the shutdown of three operating nuclear power plants by striking distribution substations connecting them to the grid. Ukraine has spent months preparing, building protective structures over critical facilities and spending hundreds of millions on repairs and smaller, harder-to-hit generating units.