The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, located just 38 miles from the Ukrainian border, said in a statement Sunday that a Ukrainian drone was shot down just after midnight. But when it fell, it detonated and caused damage to an auxiliary transformer.
The plant said crews extinguished the blaze, but it caused damage to reactor No. 3 and decreased its operating capacity by 50%. It remains in operation while reactor No. 4 undergoes scheduled maintenance. Two others are operating without generating power.
Radiation levels remain normal, the power plant said, and there were no deaths or injuries caused by the strike.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, said in a statement it was aware of reports that the Kursk facility had faced damage from military activity and that its monitoring had confirmed radiation levels remain normal.
Rafael Grossi, the agency's director-general, stressed that "every nuclear facility must be protected at all times."
The widespread drone strike also caused damage at a major fuel depot on the Baltic Sea hundreds of miles to the north, according to Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia's Leningrad region.
Drozdenko said in a statement Sunday that Russia destroyed ten drones over the port of Ust-Luga. The wreckage of one of the drones caused a fire at a terminal operated by Novatek, Russia's second-largest natural gas producer behind Gazprom.
He added that, according to preliminary data, there were no casualties and later said that the fire had been extinguished.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday morning that some 95 drones were destroyed over its territories overnight.
The strike came on the day Ukraine commemorates its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. World leaders, including President Donald Trump, were quick to express messages of support for Ukraine on the holiday, which were shared to social media by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The people of Ukraine have an unbreakable spirit, and your country's courage inspires many. As you mark this important day, know the United States respects your fight, honors your sacrifices and believes in your future as an independent nation," Trump wrote.
"Now is the moment to bring an end to the senseless killing. The United States supports a negotiated settlement that leads to a durable, lasting peace that ends the bloodshed and safeguards Ukraine's sovereignty and dignity."
China's Xi Jinping praised bilateral relations with Ukraine while France's Emmanuel Macron penned a heartfelt letter expressing that, amid the war, Ukraine has "inspired the respect and admiration of all in its fight for freedom, independence and territorial integrity."
Meanwhile, peace talks between Zelensky and Vladimir Putin have stalled and the Russian president has signaled that he intends to fight on in Ukraine.
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