Ukraine Intensifies Drone Strikes on Russian Energy Facilities Amid Nuclear Tensions
Escalating Drone Attacks
Moscow: Reports indicate that Ukraine has launched new drone strikes targeting Russian energy facilities overnight into Sunday. Russian officials and media outlets have made these claims, while Kyiv has refuted allegations that a Ukrainian drone hit a crucial nuclear plant occupied by Russia.
In the Rostov region of southwestern Russia, drone wreckage ignited a fuel storage facility, as reported by Governor Yuriy Slyusar on Telegram. Residents in the vicinity were evacuated as a precaution.
Additionally, drone attacks caused damage to civilian infrastructure in Saratov province, also located in southwestern Russia. An independent news channel reported that an oil refinery was ablaze in the provincial capital.
Ukraine has increased its offensive on Russian oil and gas installations in recent months, asserting that these sectors finance and sustain Moscow's ongoing invasion, which has persisted for over four years.
In a related development, Kyiv dismissed claims from Russia that a Ukrainian drone had struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in both Ukraine and Europe.
This facility was seized by Russian forces during the early stages of the conflict and remains near the front lines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, which Russia has formally annexed despite lacking complete military control or international acknowledgment.
Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear energy corporation, stated on Saturday that a drone exploded after breaching a turbine hall wall. CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of orchestrating a deliberate attack.
According to Likhachev, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone targeted the turbine hall of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in an explosion, although he noted that the main equipment was unharmed.
Ukraine's military refuted Russia's claims, labeling them as propaganda, and emphasized that it did not strike or aim at the nuclear facility. They reiterated their commitment to international humanitarian law and the potential consequences of targeting nuclear sites.
At the time of the incident, there was no active combat along the relevant front line, and no weaponry was deployed, the military stated.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed significant concern regarding the incident in a post on social media.
Ukraine's nuclear regulatory authority insisted that any damage reported by Russia should be verified by IAEA experts stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant as part of a long-term monitoring initiative.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the Zaporizhzhia plant has frequently come under fire, raising alarms about a potential nuclear disaster. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of deliberately targeting the facility.
In other news, Ukraine's air force announced on Sunday that it had intercepted 212 out of 299 drones launched by Russia overnight. They reported that 14 drones successfully reached their intended targets, with debris landing in five different areas.
Russian drones also attacked the city of Dnipro and an oil refinery in Ukraine's Rivne region, resulting in fires, according to local authorities.
Oleksandr Koval, the head of Rivne's regional administration, confirmed that there were no injuries reported at the refinery and that emergency services were responding to the situation.