Russia on Sunday accused Ukraine of launching a drone strike on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which caused a fire and damage to an auxiliary transformer. The incident coincided with Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day celebrations.
According to Russian officials, the attack forced a 50 percent reduction in the operating capacity at reactor number three of the facility, located close to the Russia-Ukraine border. Several other power and energy installations were also reportedly targeted in overnight strikes.
The fire at the Kursk plant was quickly extinguished, and no casualties were reported. The plant’s news service said that two other reactors remain non-operational and one is undergoing scheduled repairs, but added that radiation levels were normal.
Alexander Khinshtein, the acting governor of the Kursk region, described the alleged attack as a “threat to nuclear safety and a violation of all international conventions.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, confirmed that radiation levels near the Kursk NPP remain normal, according to a post on X.
Both Russia and Ukraine have previously traded accusations over attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine — Europe’s largest nuclear facility — warning that such incidents could risk a major accident.
In a separate incident in western Russia’s Leningrad region, officials said around 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down near the port of Ust-Luga, a major fuel export hub. Debris from the drones reportedly ignited a fire, which was later brought under control.
