Ukrainian attack on Russian nuclear facility thwarted
Moscow: A Ukrainian attack involving multiple drones has been thwarted in the Russian city of Kurchatov, home to the Kursk nuclear power plant, according to civilian and military officials.
Unconfirmed reports claimed that one of the aircraft damaged a nuclear waste storage building at the site, RT reported.
The spree of incidents happened on Thursday evening in the Kursk Region, which borders Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry reported intercepting a fixed-wing drone over the Russian territory on two occasions, about two hours apart, while the power plant’s press service said it was attacked by three enemy drones.
Kurchatov is located some 60 km from the Ukrainian border.
The statement by the civilian authorities reported no damage or casualties on the ground, saying that all four units of the facility were operating normally.
Three of them are currently online, while one is undergoing a shutdown procedure ahead of being decommissioned, it said. The oldest reactor, which first went operational in 1976, has not been generating power since late 2021, RT reported.
The news outlet SHOT claimed that the incident was more serious than according to official statements, reporting that the third drone “fell next to a nuclear waste storage and blew up". The report said the blast caused minor damage to the infrastructure, but didn’t hurt anyone.
Moscow has accused Kiev of launching multiple attempts to sabotage its crucial energy infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, amid ongoing Russian-Ukrainian hostilities, RT reported.
Earlier this month, the chief of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, had confirmed three failed commando raids on Energodar, the city where the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is located.
Energodar is located in the Zaporozhye region, which joined Russia last year after people living there voted for the move in a referendum. Ukraine has dismissed the vote as a "scam" with Kiev partially controlling the contested territory.