Fire 'extinguished at nuclear power plant' amid drone attacks on Russia

Moscow has accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drone attacks, including one that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant, as Ukrainians marked 34 years since independence from the Soviet Union.

- Angelique Chrisafis

The drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant in western Russia, 60km (37 miles) from the border with Ukraine, caused damage to an auxiliary transformer and forced a 50% reduction in the operating capacity of a reactor, Russian authorities said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack.

The fire sparked by the drone, which was shot down, had been extinguished and there were no casualties or increased radiation levels, the plant said yesterday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, reported that radiation levels were "normal" near the Kursk plant. The IAEA has repeatedly warned of the risks from fighting around nuclear plants since Russia's full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022.

Russia's defence ministry said at least 95 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across more than a dozen Russian regions yesterday, the day Ukraine celebrated its declaration of independence in 1991.