Ukraine says Russia using nuclear risk as a tool of coercion

KYIV, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system threaten nuclear safety and show Moscow is using the risk of nuclear disaster as a tool of coercion, Kyiv's foreign minister said on Tuesday after the U.N.'s atomic watchdog said substations vital for nuclear safety were affected by strikes.

"While Russian officials speak about the 'importance' of power lines, their forces deliberately strike substations, directly endangering nuclear safety and defying repeated IAEA warnings," Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.

"This has nothing to do with 'Atoms for Peace.' It is the use of nuclear risk as a tool of coercion."