By Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Thursday that Ukrainian forces attempted an overnight attack on the Kursk Nuclear Power Station. Putin did not provide evidence for this assertion but stated that Moscow had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the alleged incident. Ukraine has not yet responded to these accusations.
Putin’s claim comes as Ukrainian forces continue their cross-border offensive into Russia, a development that has proven challenging for Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking during a visit to the Sumy region, where the recent surprise attack originated, stated that the offensive aims to end the war on favorable terms for Ukraine. He also reported that Ukrainian forces had taken control of another Russian village and captured additional prisoners of war. This incursion into Russian territory has reportedly boosted Ukrainian morale.
The IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, had previously called for restraint from both sides in the conflict, especially as fighting has occurred around 30km (18 miles) from the Kursk plant. Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov assured that the plant, which houses four Soviet-era reactors, remains stable.
This incident is not the first time Ukraine and Russia have exchanged accusations regarding attacks on nuclear facilities. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have accused each other of reckless behavior concerning nuclear plants. Russian forces briefly occupied the abandoned Chornobyl power plant in northern Ukraine in 2022, an action condemned by the IAEA as “very, very dangerous.” Additionally, Russia controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine and has accused Ukraine of conducting dangerous drone strikes in the area, though Kyiv has dismissed these claims as false.
