Russia issued a warning about an alleged Ukrainian attack on a nuclear power plant as Kyiv continues its invasion of Kursk.
Kyiv launched its surprise incursion into Kursk, which borders Ukraine’s Sumy region, on August 6. Since then, Ukrainian forces have seized control of 1,250 square kilometers (482 square miles) of Russian territory and 92 settlements, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
On Friday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state media outlet Tass that Ukraine allegedly attempted to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with a drone, warning that there must be an investigation into the alleged attack from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“The IAEA must immediately respond to the act of nuclear terrorism on the part of the Kiev regime,” she said.
Ukraine has not commented whether or not they attempted to attack the NPP. Newsweek could not independently verify Russia’s claims.
In a statement on Thursday, the IAEA wrote that they had been informed by Russia that the remains of a drone were found 100 meters (roughly 328 feet) away from the plant’s spent fuel nuclear storage facility.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is expected to visit the NPP next week and may address the alleged attack, according to the statement.
“Military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant is a serious risk to nuclear safety and security. My visit to KNPP next week will provide us with timely access to independently assess the situation,” he said.
Newsweek reached out to Ukraine’s foreign ministry via email and the IAEA via its media contact form for comment.
GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Kursk offensive comes more than two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced the “special military operation” into Ukraine, which has been condemned by U.S. leaders and its allies as lacking justification.
Russia initially aimed for a quick victory over Ukraine, which was viewed as having a weaker military. However, its stronger-than-expected response, bolstered by Western financial support, has blocked Russia from making an easy win, and the war continues to rage on.
Ukraine has been reported to have seized more territory in the Kursk region than Russia has captured in Ukraine since beginning of the year and marks the first time foreign troops seized Russian territory since World War II. Zelensky has said that Ukraine controlled at least 80 settlements in Kursk.
The incursion, which caught Russia by surprise, has forced Moscow to divert resources and manpower away from the frontlines of its offensives in Ukraine.
Regional officials told Putin on Thursday that 115,000 Kursk residents have so far been evacuated from their homes due to the incursion.
The conflict, which began in February 2022, has long sparked nuclear concerns, as Russia is in possession of nuclear weapons and swaths of the region is powered by nuclear power.