As Ukraine observes its 34th Independence Day, Russia has accused Ukraine of conducting a drone attack on a nuclear power plant that has caused a fire and a transformer’s auxiliary damage.
Russian officials reported that several power and energy facilities were targeted in the overnight strikes, forcing a 50% reduction in the operating capacity at reactor number three at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), close to the Ukrainian border.
No injuries were reported from the nuclear facility’s fire, according to the plant’s news service, which posted on Telegram. Another reactor, which isn’t producing power, is currently operating, and one is undergoing scheduled repairs, it said, adding that radiation levels are acceptable.
The acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, claimed that Ukrainian attacks on the plant, located 38 kilometers away from the Russian-Ukraine border, “are a threat to nuclear safety and a violation of all international conventions.”
On Sunday, the nuclear plant’s normal radiation levels were confirmed by the UN nuclear watchdog.
The International Atomic Energy Agency stated in a post on X that “monitoring confirms normal radiation levels near Kursk NPP.”
Russia and Ukraine have also accused one another of attacking the other’s southeast Ukrainian nuclear power plant, warning that it might lead to nuclear accidents. Russia is in charge of the largest nuclear plant in Europe.
Firefighters responded to a blaze at the port of Ust-Luga, which houses a significant fuel export terminal, in the western Leningrad region of Russia. About 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down, according to the regional governor, and the debris sparked the fire.
Overnight into Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defenses had intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia also fired 72 drones and decoys into Ukraine during the same time, along with a cruise missile. 48 of these, according to the report, were shot down or slammed.
Ukrainian Independence Day
The incidents occurred as Ukraine celebrated its independence.
Day to honor its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Kyiv, made remarks in a video address from the country’s Independence Square, highlighting its resolve.
Zelenskyy praised the “we are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in peace and security” while urging a “just peace.”
In a nod to the US-Russia summit in Alaska this month, which many feared would put Ukrainian and European interests at risk, he said, “We alone decide what our future will be.”
“This is known to the world.” The rest of the world respects this. It values Ukraine. He claimed that it views Ukraine as an equal.
Sergey Lavrov, the head of Russian foreign affairs, criticizes Zelensky for “obstinately insisting, setting conditions, and demanding an immediate meeting at all costs” with Vladimir Putin.
Lavrov also accused Ukrainian authorities of “attempts to disrupt the process that Presidents Putin and Donald Trump of the US [of the US] laid down], which has resulted in very positive outcomes.”
After a flurry of diplomatic activities appeared to be stalled, he said, accusing Western nations of trying to “block” peace negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict.
According to Lavrov, “no meeting” between Zelenskyy and Putin was scheduled for Friday. In an effort to find a solution to the conflict, the Trump administration has been attempting to arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
Russia claimed on Saturday that its forces had taken two villages in the Donetsk region, but fighting continued on the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Zelenskyy met in Kyiv on Sunday morning for meetings.
“On this special day – Ukrainian Independence Day – it is especially important for us to feel the support of our friends, and Canada has always stood by our side,” Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said.
Source: Aljazeera
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