Mike Baker

And in today's back of the brief, the Iranian regime faces diplomatic fallout as the World Economic Forum revokes its invitation to Iran's foreign minister after the mass protest killings.

Which begs the question, why were they inviting him in the first place?

But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

New reporting is prompting serious concern across Europe and beyond, as intelligence suggests Russia may be preparing a dangerous escalation in its war against Ukraine.

According to multiple reports, Moscow is considering strikes not on nuclear reactors themselves, but on the power lines and substations that keep them running safely.

Specifically, attention is focused on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, which has been under Russian control since early in the war.

This is part of a broader campaign targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, particularly as winter conditions make electricity and heat even more critical for civilian life.

But when nuclear facilities enter the equation, and of course here comes a statement of the obvious, the stakes change dramatically.

And here's why.

Even when a nuclear reactor is shut down or operating at reduced capacity, it still generates heat.

And that heat has to be constantly managed by cooling systems, which rely on external electricity from the power grid.

If those power lines are cut, plants are forced to switch to emergency diesel generators.

Now, I'm not a nuclear scientist, and I know you're surprised by that, but forcing nuclear plants onto emergency power during a war...

It usually falls into the bad idea category.

Those generators are designed as nothing more than a temporary fallback, not a long-term solution.

Fuel supplies can be disrupted, equipment can fail, and in war zones, repairs are anything but guaranteed.

If cooling systems falter, temperatures rise, and that's where the risk of a serious nuclear incident, including a meltdown, enters the picture.

Ukraine's military intelligence warns that Russia may be planning strikes on substations connected not just to Zaporizhia, but to all three of Ukraine's active nuclear plants.

The goal, they say, would be to completely sever external power, plunging large portions of the country into darkness during a frigid winter while pushing nuclear facilities onto emergency systems.

This would represent not just another Russian attack on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, but a move that would risk radioactive consequences far beyond Ukraine's borders.