Fire Breaks Out at Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant After Ukrainian Drone Downed by Military
Fire has broken out at Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant after a Ukrainian drone was downed by the military, with the blaze extinguished without casualties or radiation changes, amid warnings from the IAEA about dangers in the ongoing Ukraine conflict that has seen escalating attacks on energy infrastructure and territorial gains by Kyiv in the border region.
Drone Strike Sparks Blaze at Key Nuclear Facility
A Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in western Russia on Sunday, 24 August 2025, causing a short-lived fire after Russian air defences shot down the unmanned aerial vehicle. The drone detonated upon impact near a transformer, sparking the blaze which was quickly put out by fire crews. According to the plant’s press service, the incident damaged an auxiliary transformer, leading to a 50% reduction in capacity at unit three, one of the facility’s two operating reactors. No casualties were reported, and radiation levels at the site and in the surrounding area remained unchanged, corresponding to natural background levels.
The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, located near the Russia-Ukraine border west of Kursk city—a regional capital with a population of around 440,000—has been a focal point of concern since Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into the Kursk region earlier in August. Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 30 kilometres into Russian territory, capturing over 1,000 square kilometres and more than 100 settlements, including the town of Sudzha. This marks the first foreign occupation of Russian soil since World War II, prompting Moscow to declare a state of emergency and evacuate over 200,000 residents. The plant itself, just 40 kilometres from the border, continues to operate amid heightened security, but the attack underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in the conflict zone.
Russian officials, including Kursk region’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov, attributed the fire directly to the drone strike, which was part of a broader wave of Ukrainian UAV assaults overnight. The Russian defence ministry reported downing 95 drones across 13 regions, including Bryansk, Kaluga, Smolensk, Kursk, Leningrad, Tver, Novgorod, Oryol, Tambov, the Moscow region, the Chuvash Republic, and the waters of the Black Sea. No immediate comment came from Kyiv, but Ukrainian military sources have claimed responsibility for similar strikes aimed at disrupting Russian logistics and energy supplies.
Broader Wave of Drone Attacks on Russian Infrastructure
The Kursk incident was not isolated, forming part of a coordinated Ukrainian drone campaign that targeted multiple energy facilities. In the Leningrad region, about 10 drones were intercepted over the port of Ust-Luga, where debris sparked a fire at Novatek’s fuel export and processing complex. The Ust-Luga terminal, operational since 2013, processes gas condensate into naphtha, jet fuel, and gasoil for international markets. Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed emergency services extinguished the blaze, with no injuries reported.
Further south in the Samara region, drones struck an industrial enterprise in Syzran, causing a fire at the Rosneft-owned oil refinery. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev reported no casualties, but the attack follows a pattern of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy assets, including a previous hit on the Syzran refinery earlier in August that suspended production. These assaults aim to cripple Moscow’s war economy by targeting fuel supplies critical to military operations.
Ukraine’s drone strategy has intensified since the start of its Kursk offensive on 6 August 2025, with President Volodymyr Zelensky praising the strikes as a means to bring the war home to Russia and disrupt its capabilities. Zelensky has described the incursion as creating a “buffer zone” to protect Ukrainian border regions from shelling, while also boosting morale on Ukraine’s Independence Day, marked on 24 August with subdued celebrations amid the conflict.
IAEA Warns of Nuclear Risks as Conflict Escalates
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly sounded alarms over the perils of military actions near nuclear sites, a concern amplified since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, informed of the Kursk incident by Russian authorities, reiterated the need for maximum restraint around such facilities. “The safety and security of all nuclear power plants is of central importance,” Grossi stated, warning that any escalation could lead to a radiological emergency.
This is not the first time nuclear plants have been caught in the crossfire. Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since March 2022 has raised global fears, with repeated shelling and power outages risking meltdowns. The IAEA has stationed monitors at Ukrainian sites, but access to Kursk remains limited. Experts like Edwin Lyman from the Union of Concerned Scientists have highlighted the dangers of drone strikes on nuclear infrastructure, noting that while reactors are designed to withstand impacts, auxiliary systems like transformers are vulnerable, potentially leading to blackouts or safety shutdowns.
The Kursk plant, a Soviet-era facility with four RBMK-1000 reactors similar to those at Chernobyl, has two units operational, producing about 2,000 MW. The attack reduced output but did not compromise core safety, according to Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation.
Ongoing Ukraine-Russia War: Casualties, Territorial Control, and Diplomatic Stalemate
The incident occurs amid a protracted conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, with civilian casualties in Ukraine exceeding 10,000 according to UN estimates. Russia controls approximately 18% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea annexed in 2014 and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts seized since 2022. The war has displaced over 6 million Ukrainians and devastated cities like Mariupol and Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s Kursk operation, involving up to 10,000 troops, has shifted dynamics, forcing Russia to redeploy forces and declare emergencies in Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions. Moscow has vowed to expel Ukrainian forces, with Defence Minister Andrei Belousov overseeing a counteroffensive. Meanwhile, Ukraine marked its 34th Independence Day with flag-raising ceremonies in Kyiv and messages of defiance from Zelensky, who hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and received support from the UK, including extended military training under Operation Interflex until 2026.
Diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rebuffed calls for an unconditional ceasefire, insisting on Ukraine’s demilitarisation and recognition of annexed territories. Recent talks, including a 15 August summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin, yielded no breakthroughs, with US President Donald Trump considering further sanctions. Norway pledged 7 billion kroner (about $650 million) for Ukrainian air defences, including Patriot systems in collaboration with Germany.
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