Russia accuses Ukraine of drone strike on nuclear plant as Kyiv marks Independence Day

Amid widespread speculation over a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Moscow on Sunday (August 24) accused Kyiv of launching drone attacks, causing a fire at a nuclear power centre in the country’s western Kursk region overnight.

The development took place as the war-ravaged eastern European nation celebrated its 35th Independence Day on the same day. The country became independent from the erstwhile Soviet Union, the predecessor to the present-day Russia.

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Officials in Moscow claimed that the strikes targeted several power and energy facilities. The nuclear plant’s press service said on Telegram that the fire was quickly extinguished, and no injuries were reported. A transformer was reportedly damaged, but the radiation levels were within normal ranges.

UN nuclear watchdog reacts

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was aware of media reports that a transformer at the plants had caught fire as a result of “military activity” but had no independent confirmation. Its director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times”.

Kyiv did not issue any statement immediately on the alleged strike.

Firefighters, meanwhile, rushed to respond to a blaze at the port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region of Russia, which is home to a major fuel export terminal. Around 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down, with debris causing the fire, the regional governor said.

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Sources in the Russian defence ministry said its air defences intercepted nearly 100 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight into Sunday.

Ukrainian Air Force officials said Russia fired 72 drones and decoys, besides a cruise missile, into the country overnight on Sunday. Forty-eight of them were either brought down or jammed.

Zelenskyy addresses nation on I-Day

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a video address from Kyiv’s Independence Square on the occasion of Independence Day, underscoring the nation’s resolve. Ukraine has been fighting a war against Russia since February 2022, when Moscow launched a military offensive.

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

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“What our future will be is up to us alone,” he said, in a nod to the US–Russia summit in Alaska on August 15, which many feared would leave Ukrainian and European interests sidelined. “And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal,” he said.

“On this special day — Ukraine's Independence Day — it is especially important for us to feel the support of our friends. And Canada has always stood by our side,” Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, wrote.

Norway announces fresh military aid

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Kyiv on Sunday morning for meetings with Zelenskyy.

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Meanwhile, Norway announced significant new military aid for Ukraine on Sunday, pledging about 7 billion kroner ($695 million) for air defence systems. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Norway and Germany are jointly funding two Patriot systems, including missiles, with Norway also helping procure air defence radar.

Meanwhile, fighting continued on the front line in eastern Ukraine, where Russia claimed on Saturday that its forces had seized two villages in the Donetsk region.

(With agency inputs)