Against the backdrop of the ongoing shelling of its energy facilities, Ukraine has begun the construction of two more nuclear reactors in the west of the country.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Saturday that the foundation stone for reactor units 5 and 6 of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant was laid in the presence of Energy Minister German Galushchenko and the US ambassador to Kiev, Bridget Brink.
The ceremony is said to have taken place on Thursday, but has only just been made public for safety reasons.
In contrast to other types of power plants, Russia has so far spared nuclear facilities with its drone and missile attacks - also out of awareness that this could cause a nuclear catastrophe that is difficult to calculate in terms of scale.
The units are being built in co-operation with the US nuclear energy company Westinghouse Electric Company. They are pressurized water reactors of the AP1000 type with a service life of at least 60 years, according to the company.
"This is a more modern and safer technology than the one we are using now," said Petro Kotin, acting chief executive of the Ukrainian nuclear energy operator Energoatom. He praised this as a step towards a new safe and reliable energy supply.
The construction time for a reactor is estimated at four to five years and the costs at around $5 billion.
The new reactors are therefore not a quick solution to Ukraine's energy supply problems. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, is systematically bombarding energy supply facilities in the country.
Most recently, it has specifically targeted thermal and hydroelectric power plants with its missiles; The Ukrainian air defence system is overloaded due to the large number of attacks.