Russian officials have stated that a drone strike damaged a transformer at the facility, resulting in a fire.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has acknowledged reports of a fire at Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant (NPP), which it indicated was caused by “military activity.”
Earlier, Russian officials reported that the plant, situated approximately 50km from the Ukrainian border, had been the target of a drone attack.
Overnight, air defense forces reportedly intercepted a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that detonated upon impact near the Kursk NPP, causing damage to an auxiliary transformer and igniting a fire, which was subsequently extinguished.
“Radiation levels at the site and in surrounding areas remained unchanged,” read a statement on the NPP’s official Telegram channel.
Officials confirmed that while no casualties were reported, the NPP had to decrease the operational load on one of its three active units by 50%.
In a post on X on Sunday, the IAEA refrained from assigning blame, stating only that it “is aware of media reports that a transformer at the Kursk NPP in Russia has caught fire due to military activity. While the IAEA has no independent confirmation of these reports, [Director General] Rafael Grossi stresses that ‘every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.’”
The Kursk nuclear facility has been jeopardized by the conflict with Ukraine, particularly after Kyiv’s military forces made a significant incursion into the region in August 2024. Russian officials announced in April that Ukrainian troops had been expelled from the Kursk Region following a months-long counteroffensive.
Russian authorities have asserted that Kyiv intended to seize the site, cautioning that such a successful plan could have led to a nuclear accident on the scale of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Furthermore, the Kursk NPP has endured several Ukrainian strikes in recent months.