Ukrainian drones spark fire at Russian nuclear plant in Kursk region

Russian officials said Ukrainian drones ignited an overnight fire at a nuclear plant in Russia’s Kursk region.

The strikes coincided with Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day, marking its 1991 break from the Soviet Union.

Russia said the strikes hit several power facilities. The plant fire was quickly extinguished. A transformer was damaged, but radiation levels remained normal, and no injuries were reported.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports of a transformer fire “due to military activity,” but had not independently confirmed them.

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Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”

A fire also broke out at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s Leningrad region, home to a major fuel export terminal.

The regional governor said about 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the area and that debris sparked the blaze.

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Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory Sunday.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 72 drones and decoys and a cruise missile overnight; 48 drones were shot down or jammed.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in a video from Kyiv’s Independence Square.

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“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” he said, calling for a “just peace.”

“What our future will be is up to us alone,” he said, while acknowledging the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska earlier this month, which many worried would sideline Ukrainian interests.

“And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.