On the 24th (local time), Ukraine, which is celebrating the 34th anniversary of its independence, attacked the nuclear power plant in Russia's Kursk.
According to Reuters, the Kursk nuclear power plant, not far from the Ukrainian border, caught fire overnight from a drone attack. The Kursk nuclear power plant reported via Telegram that the fire damaged auxiliary transformers and reduced the operational capacity of reactor No. 3 by 50%.
However, it was reported that the radiation levels are within normal range and there were no injuries. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted in a statement that "radiation levels near the Kursk nuclear power plant have been confirmed as normal."
On the same day, Ukraine launched a large-scale drone strike across various regions of Russia. A fire also broke out at a large fuel export terminal in Leningrad Oblast due to a drone attack. Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of Leningrad Oblast, explained that about 10 Ukrainian drones fell near Ust-Yurt airport, causing debris to ignite.
The Ministry of National Defense of Russia announced that 13 regions, including central Samara and southern Chelyabinsk, were hit by drone attacks and reported that 95 drones fired by Ukraine were shot down. As a result of the drone attacks, operations at several airports were suspended for several hours.
The day before, Russia fired one ballistic missile and 72 drones towards Ukraine, most of which were intercepted by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Recently, Ukraine has been intensively attacking energy facilities in Russia, including oil refineries and oil transport facilities, using drones. As a result, there has been a gasoline shortage in Russia, causing gasoline prices to soar, and it has been reported that the repair and maintenance of facilities are not going smoothly amid Western sanctions.
Meanwhile, this day marks the 34th anniversary of Ukraine's independence since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, stated in a video message on this day that "Ukraine will continue to fight for independence." President Zelenskyy said, "Ukraine will achieve reliable and sustainable peace through strong security guarantees that no one dares to invade."