Ukraine drone strike on Russian nuclear site sparks fears of radiation risk
Ukraine drone strike on Russian nuclear plant raises fresh concern about radiation leak
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defences intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight. / Photo: AP
20 hours ago
Russia said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in its western region overnight, prompting calls from the UN’s nuclear watchdog to safeguard atomic facilities.
Officials in Moscow confirmed that several energy and power sites were hit in the wave of strikes. At Kursk, the plant’s press service said the blaze—triggered by damage to a transformer—was swiftly contained, with no casualties reported and radiation levels remaining within normal limits.
Alexander Khinshtein, the region’s acting governor, warned that the strikes endangered nuclear safety and breached international conventions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was aware of reports that a transformer had caught fire “due to military activity.” Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi stressed that “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”
Later, the IAEA confirmed radiation levels near the Kursk site, located 60 km (38 miles) from Ukraine’s border, were normal.
Ukraine has not commented on the reported strike.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said air defences intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukraine’s air force reported Russia launched 72 drones, decoys, and a cruise missile, of which 48 drones were destroyed or jammed.
