Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said that Russia launched 72 drones and decoys, including a cruise missile, into Ukrainian territory overnight into Sunday.
Russia accused Ukraine on Aug 24 of igniting a fire at a nuclear power plant in the western Kursk region overnight with drone attacks.
Several power and energy facilities were hit in overnight strikes, Russian officials said. The plant’s press service said on Telegram that the fire was quickly extinguished with no injuries to workers.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the drone strike allegations. The incident occurred as Ukraine celebrates 34 years of its independence from the Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, said it had seen media reports of a transformer at the plants catching fire “due to military activity,” but hasn’t independently confirmed the alleged attacks.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the IAEA, said, “Every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”
Firefighters were also mobilized to extinguish a fire at the port of Ust-Luga in the Russian Leningrad region, where a major fuel export terminal is located. Roughly 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down, with fire being lit from the debris, the regional governor said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry alleged its air defenses intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over its domestic airspace overnight into Sunday.
Ukraine’s air force said that Russia launched 72 drones and decoys, including a cruise missile, into Ukrainian territory overnight into Sunday. The air force said it shot down or jammed 48 of the drones.
As Ukraine marked its independence day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a video address from Kyiv’s Independence Square, highlighting his country’s resolve.
“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv is calling for a “just peace.”
“What our future will be is up to us alone,” Zelenskyy said. “And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal.”
Trump penned a letter to Zelenskyy to congratulate his nation’s independence, which the Ukrainian president shared on X.
By Jacob Burg
