Ukraine marks Independence Day with drone blitz on Russian targets, hits Kursk nuclear plant

A wave of Ukrainian drone strikes hit key Russian infrastructure on Sunday, damaging a nuclear power plant and sparking a massive fire at a major fuel export terminal, Russian officials said.

Russia’s defence ministry reported intercepting at least 95 drones across more than a dozen regions on August 24, coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day. One of the drones was downed near the Kursk nuclear power plant, 60 km from the Ukrainian border, damaging an auxiliary transformer and cutting reactor No. 3's output by half.

The Kursk nuclear power plant, just 60 km (38 miles) from the border with Ukraine, said that air defences shot down a drone that detonated near the plant just after midnight, damaging an auxiliary transformer and forcing a 50% reduction in the operating capacity at reactor No. 3.

The plant reported no radiation leak or injuries, with two reactors offline and another under scheduled repair. The International Atomic Energy Agency acknowledged the incident, urging constant protection of nuclear facilities.

Farther north, in the Leningrad region, debris from downed drones ignited a fire at the Novatek-operated Ust-Luga fuel terminal on the Gulf of Finland. Dramatic footage shared on Telegram appeared to show a drone hitting the terminal, followed by a massive fireball and thick black smoke.

Emergency crews responded to the blaze, and no casualties were reported, according to regional governor Alexander Drozdenko. The Ust-Luga complex, critical for fuel exports, processes condensate into products like jet fuel and naphtha for markets in Asia and Turkey.

Despite peace talks, the war grinds on along a 2,000 km front line, with missile and drone strikes reaching deep into both nations.