Ukrainian forces attempted to attack a Russian nuclear plant in the border region of Kursk with at least five kamikaze drones and one S-200 missile, according to local media reports.
The drones and missile which targeted the Kurchatov Nuclear Power Plant were shot down by Russian air defense systems, but the falling debris damaged a substation which provides power to at least seven streets in the Kursk region, Russian Telegram channel Mash reported on Wednesday.
The nuclear power plant is located about 40 kilometers west of the city of Kursk and is approximately 110 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
It marks at least the fourth time that the nuclear power plant has been targeted throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to independent Russian publication The Moscow Times.
The plant's Telegram channel said the facility is operating as normal, and that radiation levels are normal.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment by email.
The latest development comes after the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Siberian Battalion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)—three Ukraine-aligned volunteer military units—launched a cross-border raid into Russia's southern Belgorod and Kursk regions on March 12. The groups say their operation is ongoing.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, said during a Ukrainian television appearance last week that the "Kursk and Belgorod regions are now an area of active combat actions."
"And as stated by the volunteers and rebels, we are talking about Russian citizens who, having no other options, are defending their civil right with arms against the Putin regime," Yusov added.
Kursk regional governor Roman Starovoit had warned on his Telegram channel that there was a missile threat in the area.
"Kursk region: missile danger! If you are at home, you need to take shelter in rooms without windows with solid walls: in the hallway, bathroom, pantry. If you are on the street, go into the nearest building or suitable shelter," said Starovoit.
He later said that there were temporary power outages in Kursk, and urged residents not to approach or touch fallen drone debris.
"Air defense systems are working in the skies over the Kursk region. Please remain calm," he wrote.
The Russian defense ministry said air defense systems destroyed a Ukrainian S-200 missile over the territory of the Kursk region.
Ukraine rarely claims responsibility for attacks on Russian soil, but the Kremlin has accused Kyiv of trying to carry out terrorist attacks using drones.
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Update 03/20/24, 14.15 p.m. ET: This article was updated with a change to the spelling of Roman Starovoit.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
