In a startling turn of events, a Ukrainian drone has collided with a nuclear waste storage facility at the Kursk power plant in western Russia, causing considerable damage to its infrastructure, as revealed by Russia’s foreign ministry on Saturday. The incident has prompted Moscow to label it as an “act of nuclear terrorism” and call for international condemnation.
Russia’s foreign ministry issued a formal statement, suggesting that Ukraine must have been aware of the catastrophic implications that could have emanated from its actions, potentially affecting numerous nations. Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, made a plea for the global community to unite in denouncing what she described as “barbaric actions” by Kyiv, highlighting the severe danger and irreversible consequences that such actions may entail.
Notably, Moscow had previously reported thwarting the drone attack on Thursday, with local news outlets confirming an explosion that damaged the facade of a nuclear waste storage warehouse. The official statement released on Saturday constitutes the first official confirmation of the extent of the damage.
Zakharova detailed the nature of the attack, indicating that a drone laden with explosives had impacted the walls of the nuclear waste facility, while two others struck an administrative building complex. Preliminary investigations suggest that the components used in these drones might have been supplied by Western countries. She went on to raise questions regarding the potential involvement of Ukraine’s allies or the likelihood of orders being given by them for such a perilous attack.
Located in a region bordering Ukraine, the Kursk power plant assured the public that no casualties were incurred, and radiation levels remained within permissible limits while operations continued unaffected. Ukrainian authorities have not issued a response at the time of this report, adhering to their customary stance of neither confirming nor denying military actions on Russian territory.
This incident at Kursk is the latest in a series of drone attacks on Russian regions during the 20-month-long conflict. It’s worth noting that the governor of Kursk had reported a previous drone attack on the town of Kurchatov on September 1.
The episode on Thursday unfolded just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed concerns that a Russian drone attack in Ukraine’s Khmelnitskyi region might have been targeting a nuclear power station in the vicinity.
