Russia issued a warning about an alleged Ukrainian attack on a nuclear power plant as Kyiv continues its invasion of Kursk.
Kyiv launched its surprise incursion into Kursk, which borders Ukraine’s Sumy region, on August 6.
“The IAEA must immediately respond to the act of nuclear terrorism on the part of the Kiev regime,” she said.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is expected to visit the NPP next week and may address the alleged attack, according to the statement.
“Military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant is a serious risk to nuclear safety and security.
Newsweek reached out to Ukraine’s foreign ministry via email and the IAEA via its media contact form for comment.
The incursion, which caught Russia by surprise, has forced Moscow to divert resources and manpower away from the frontlines of its offensives in Ukraine.
Regional officials told Putin on Thursday that 115,000 Kursk residents have so far been evacuated from their homes due to the incursion.
As Kiev presses forward with its invasion of Kursk, Russia has warned about an alleged attack on a nuclear power plant by the Ukrainians.
On August 6, Kyiv initiated an unexpected attack into Kursk, which is adjacent to the Sumy region of Ukraine. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, 92 settlements and 1,250 square kilometers (482 square miles) of Russian territory have been taken over by Ukrainian forces since that time.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must conduct an investigation into the claimed attack, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state media outlet Tass on Friday. She claimed that Ukraine had attempted to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) using a drone.
“The Kiev regime’s act of nuclear terrorism demands an immediate response from the IAEA,” she declared.
Whether or not Ukraine attempted to attack the NPP has not been stated. Russia’s claims could not be independently confirmed by Newsweek.
The remains of a drone were discovered 100 meters (or about 328 feet) from the plant’s spent fuel nuclear storage facility, the IAEA said in a statement on Thursday. They had been notified by Russia of this discovery.
According to the statement, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is scheduled to visit the NPP next week and may discuss the alleged attack.
“Nuclear safety and security are seriously threatened by military activity near nuclear power plants. Next week, I’ll be visiting KNPP, so we’ll have timely access to evaluate the situation on our own,” he said.
For comment, Newsweek contacted the IAEA through its media contact form and the Ukrainian foreign ministry via email.
More than two years have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin first declared the “special military operation” into Ukraine, which the United States has denounced. This is when the Kursk offensive began. S. as being without reason, according to leaders and sponsors.
Initially, believing Ukraine to have a weaker military, Russia sought an expeditious victory over them. Yet the war rages on because of its more forceful than anticipated response, which was supported financially by the West and prevented Russia from winning easily.
It is the first time foreign troops have seized Russian territory since World War II, and according to reports, Ukraine has taken more territory in the Kursk region than Russia has since the year’s beginning. According to Zelensky, Ukraine ruled over at least 80 Kursk settlements.
Russia was taken aback by the incursion and was forced to refocus its resources and manpower on areas other than the front lines of its offensive in Ukraine.
115,000 people in Kursk have already had to leave their homes due to the incursion, regional officials informed Putin on Thursday.
