Drone attacks by Ukraine on Sunday forced a sharp fall in the capacity of a reactor at one of Russia's biggest nuclear power plants and sparked a massive fire at Novatek's Ust-Luga oil export terminal, according to Russian officials.
The Kursk nuclear power plant – located 60 km (38 miles) from the border with Ukraine – said in a press release that Russian air defences shot down a drone that detonated near the plant just after midnight, damaging an auxiliary transformer and forcing a 50 per cent reduction in the operating capacity at reactor No 3, reports Reuters..
Despite ongoing talk of peace by Russia and Ukraine, the deadliest European war since World War Two is continuing along the 2,000 km front line accompanied by missile and drone attacks deep into both Russia and Ukraine.
On 24 August, the day that Ukraine celebrated its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, at least 95 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across more than a dozen Russian regions, said Russia's defence ministry.
According to the plant authority, radiation levels remained normal and there were no injuries from the fire which the drone sparked. Two other reactors are operating without power generation while the third one is undergoing scheduled repairs.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear agency of the United Nations, said it was aware of reports that a transformer at the plant caught fire due to military activity and stressed that every nuclear facility should be protected at all times.
At least 10 Ukrainian drones were downed over the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's northern Leningrad region
A thousand kilometres to the north, on the Finland's Gulf, at least 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's northern Leningrad region, with falling debris sparking fire at the Novatek-operated terminal - a major Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and processing complex, according to the regional governor.
Plume of black smoke
Followed by a huge ball of fire rising high into the sky followed by a plume of black smoke billowing into the horizon, an unverified footage on Russian Telegram channels showed a drone flying directly into a fuel terminal.
Russian Leningrad region's Governor Alexander Drozdenko said, "Firefighters and emergency services are currently working to extinguish the blaze. There were no injuries.
Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said flights were halted for hours on end at several Russian airports overnight, including at the Pulkovo airport in the Leningrad region.
The Samara region governor said on Sunday that the Ukrainian drones also attacked an industrial enterprise in the southern Russian city of Syzran. "A child was injured in the attack," he added but did not specify exactly what had been attacked.
Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military said it had struck the Syzran oil refinery. The Rosneft-owned (ROSN.MM), opened a new tab refinery and was forced to suspend production and crude intake after the attack, sources told Reuters.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has said its strikes inside Russia are in response to Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine and are aimed at destroying infrastructure deemed crucial to Moscow's overall military efforts.
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