Drone Strikes Cooling Tower at Kursk Nuclear Plant — Operations Unaffected, IAEA Says

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that a drone struck the cooling tower of one of the reactor units at Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant early on Thursday morning. According to the agency, the unit was operating normally at the time of the strike, and its operating mode remained unchanged afterward. No fire broke out.

"All attacks on nuclear facilities are unacceptable, as they could jeopardise nuclear safety wherever they occur," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, once again urging both sides to exercise maximum military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

The agency's statement did not identify the source of the drone or mention Ukraine directly. Kyiv has been carrying out regular drone strikes on Russian territory in response to Moscow's invasion, including attacks well beyond the border area. Russian media also cited the IAEA in their reports but offered no additional details of their own about the incident.

The Kursk Plant Has Been Targeted Before

Russian authorities have previously reported several threats to the Kursk nuclear plant from Ukrainian drones. In October 2023, Moscow said three drones had been detected near the station, one of which, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, exploded close to a nuclear waste storage facility.

During Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region in August 2024, new drone debris was found on the plant's grounds — prompting a personal visit from IAEA chief Grossi. In September 2025 and July 2026, Russian officials reported two further drone strikes near the site of the plant's second reactor unit, which is under construction next to the operating station.

Source: novinky.cz