A Ukrainian drone strike hit the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the largest in Europe — punching a hole in a turbine hall wall but leaving critical equipment undamaged, Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said.
“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation,” Rosatom’s head Alexei Likhachev said in a statement.
“The explosion caused no damage to the primary equipment; however, it tore a hole in the turbine hall wall.”
Ukraine did not immediately comment. Mr Likhachev described the strike as “deliberate”.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in March 2022, and it has remained near the frontline in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region ever since.
The site has periodically come under fire during the four-year-long war, stoking international concern that a miscalculation or a direct hit could trigger a nuclear accident at the facility.
“We are one step closer to an incident that will most likely affect even those who live far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine and still think they are completely safe,” Mr Likhachev said.
The reported strike on the plant came as Moscow said Ukrainian drones also hit energy targets in southern Russia on Tuesday, setting off fires but causing no casualties.
Kyiv has launched drones into Russia as far as the Urals
Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russia’s oil infrastructure, attacks that officials and analysts say have inflicted significant damage on facilities crucial to fuel supplies and export revenue.
In recent weeks, Kyiv has launched drones into Russia as far as the Urals, as Moscow’s full-scale offensive against Ukraine drags on through its fifth year.
Yuri Slyusar, governor of the southern Rostov region, said a tanker at the port of Taganrog was struck and that firefighters had put out the blaze.
“No fuel oil leaks have been reported. There are no casualties,” he said on Telegram.
Mr Slyusar said air defences brought down around 50 drones over the Rostov region overnight, adding that no deaths were reported.
Taganrog lies near eastern Ukraine and close to Mariupol, a city under Russian occupation.
In the neighbouring Krasnodar region, authorities said a drone attack sparked a fire at an oil terminal in the city of Armavir, also reporting no casualties.
Russia separately said Ukrainian drones killed two people in its border Belgorod region, an area that is regularly hit by cross-border fire.
Russia’s Ukraine offensive has turned into Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
