Russia19 September, 20262 min read
Ukrainian Drone Hits Cooling Tower at Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, IAEA Says
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Drone struck Kursk reactor unit's cooling tower; IAEA says unit remained operational, no fire. IAEA confirms the information and cautions against targeting Kursk amid nuclear safety concerns.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Drone hits Kursk cooling tower
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was informed that a drone hit the cooling tower of a reactor unit at Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in the Kursk region early Thursday.
The IAEA said the targeted unit was operating at the time, but its operating mode did not change and there was no fire.
Russia’s nuclear state corporation Rosatom confirmed that a Ukrainian drone detonated upon striking the cooling tower of the plant’s no. 1 power unit, causing "minor damage."
Rosatom added that power unit no. 1 continues to operate at 100% capacity and that radiation levels remain unchanged and consistent with natural background values.
IAEA chief urges restraint
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said all attacks on nuclear facilities are "unacceptable" because they could "endanger nuclear safety and security, irrespective of where they occur." Grossi reiterated demands for "maximum military restraint" to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident.
At the IAEA General Conference, Mikhail Ulyanov said Russia had warned that if IAEA member states and the agency’s leadership do not find the resolve to condemn attacks on nuclear facilities "anywhere, at any time," such attacks would become a new norm. Ulyanov added, "It appears this is exactly what is happening," and said Moscow wants the agency to respond to attacks on nuclear facilities, particularly those under IAEA safeguards.
Russia links nuclear attacks to norms
Russia’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, accused Kiev of deliberate attacks on employees of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, their relatives and residents of Energodar. Ulyanov said the July 15 strike on a Zaporozhye NPP service vehicle killed the plant’s chief engineer, Alexander Yakovlev, and driver Dmitry Filippov.
He told the IAEA General Conference that the intensity of the attacks and provocations has continued to grow, saying the nuclear plant and its satellite city of Energodar came under attack almost every day during the summer. Ulyanov also said unconditional political support from the West is encouraging Kiev to continue attacks that threaten nuclear security, and he argued Russia has spent four years drawing attention to what it describes as the lack of consequences for Ukrainian attacks on nuclear facilities.