Ukraine’s critical infrastructure workers are as vital today as the soldiers holding the front line. Successive Russian bombing campaigns targeting these facilities have severely weakened the country’s energy capacity. Without energy, life across Ukraine risks grinding to a halt, making the protection of these workers a national priority.
Since the full-scale invasion began, the physical safety of all Ukrainians has been under constant threat. But the psychological toll has grown as well, and essential workers are no exception. Like the rest of the population, they worry about mobilized family members, friends injured in attacks or loved ones living in occupied territories. On top of this, they themselves have become targets of Kremlin missiles.
The relentless stress, compounded by the incessant air-raid sirens that force them to halt their tasks multiple times a day, weighs heavily on them. Even while sheltering, they face the pressure of ensuring operations continue seamlessly. This reality has led to a sharp rise in stress-related consultations among essential workers.
For nuclear power plants, the psychological burden is of particular concern to plant managers. Specialized engineers who operate and maintain reactors perform an exceptionally delicate task, where a lapse in concentration could trigger a nuclear incident.
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“The psycho-emotional pressure is immense, although we’ve somewhat adapted to the stress,” says Vasil Sluhanshi, Deputy Director of Human Resources at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). “The attitude toward mental health and its importance has shifted. Alarms induce panic, and the consequences are very real. However, many measures have been taken, and new protections are being implemented at all levels—state, company, and security,” Sluhanshi explains.
Among these new measures, workers are receiving training in self-protection and first aid tailored to injuries caused by bombings. This initiative is spearheaded by Rostislav Filippenko, founder of the Ukrainian NGO Mission Kharkiv, who aims to extend these training sessions to all energy facilities across the country.
Tourniquets that save lives beyond the front lines
“The idea came about during a conversation with an ambulance doctor who told me he had witnessed at least four preventable deaths at a power plant in Kharkiv, deaths that could have been avoided with something as simple as knowing how to apply a tourniquet,” explains Filippenko. That conversation sparked the development of a specialized training workshop for workers in critical infrastructure, and the team soon began searching for funding.
To date, they have conducted 295 workshops, reaching nearly 8,000 Ukrainian workers. “But many more are needed,” says Filippenko. “Energy plant workers aren’t soldiers; they’re not in trenches, so they don’t constantly think about danger. But in the midst of war, the danger is real. Through this training, we’ve opened the eyes of many Ukrainians.”
His point resonates strongly at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant. “There’s a high demand among our staff to attend these courses, but we are a workforce of 5,000 people, and this will take time,” says Deputy Director Vasil Sluhanshi. “Our priority is workplace safety. Anything that ensures emergency teams can save lives, hopefully unnecessarily, is valuable,” he adds from his office at the plant.
The first to receive this training –based on the “Stop the Bleed” protocol– were workers at the Kharkiv and Poltava power plants. “But every worker in the energy sector should take part,” insists Filippenko, “even if they never have to use it.”
The role of local NGOs in wartime is critical, and this initiative proves as much. It is local people who are best positioned to identify the urgent needs of their communities. “At Mission Kharkiv, we also aim to make this training sustainable. We want it to continue without us. Each facility should have its own instructors and a strong focus on prevention. “That’s what saves lives,” Filippenko concludes.
Bombing Emergencies
While Russia has yet to cross the “red line” of directly bombing a nuclear power plant—as it systematically does with electrical stations—security officials at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant warn that the threats are getting dangerously close, with no guarantees of safety.
“Do you see the vinyl covering the windows of all our buildings? We installed it because there have already been explosions nearby, and we’ve seen Shahed drones flying right past,” reveals Leonid Volkov, the plant’s head of security.
“From a common-sense perspective, I want to believe that targeting a nuclear plant is a red line, and that Russia won’t strike the reactors directly,” says Deputy Director Vasil Sluhanshi. “But then again, the enemy has shown us who they are. There have already been deliberate incursions near the plant, on its outskirts. So, there’s no absolute guarantee—only hope that common sense prevails,” he concludes.
All of Ukraine’s nuclear plants, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently occupied by Russia, remain under the observation of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspectors. Although the reactors at Zaporizhzhia are shut down, they still require specialized maintenance to avoid a nuclear disaster.
“The reactors are under constant surveillance,” confirms Sluhanshi. “There is an international presence at all sites, and they provide information on what’s happening. But we believe they don’t raise their voices loudly enough to condemn the emergencies Russia is creating.”
The most critical moment at Khmelnytskyi occurred during the Russian bombing of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in November 2022. A similar situation unfolded earlier this year. “There was an interruption in the power supply, and we had to switch to diesel generators in automatic mode. We didn’t have to shut everything down completely, but we did partially,” confirms Sluhanshi.
The future of energy in Ukraine
The Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant is undergoing an expansion that, once completed, will make it the largest nuclear facility in Europe –surpassing Zaporizhzhia– with a generation capacity of 6,200 megawatts and thousands of additional workers operating its facilities.
Currently, the plant has two functioning reactors and another two under construction. The expansion project is planning for an additional two reactors, bringing the total to six. If all proceeds without delay, these reactors could be operational by 2030.
This is the answers at the question of whether Ukraine will be able to compensate for the loss of the Zaporizhzhia power plant in the future. Today, 55 percent of the country’s energy comes from nuclear reactors, which is why modernization and expansion work has not stopped despite the war.
On the contrary, as electrical stations remain under constant Russian bombardment, nuclear reactors have become Ukraine’s strategic investment for the future. However, this does not mean the government is neglecting the repair of damaged power plants, substations, distribution nodes, and other critical components of the energy grid.
Significant progress was made over the summer to rebuild as much as possible. Yet, with energy demand surging during the cold months, Ukraine’s survival –both for its citizens and its industries– depends heavily on nuclear energy production and the relentless work of the thousands who maintain this infrastructure. Without them, enduring the winter would be impossible.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
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