NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Russian officials said Ukrainian drones ignited an overnight fire at a nuclear plant in Russia’s Kursk region.
The strikes coincided with Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day, marking its 1991 break from the Soviet Union.
Russia said the strikes hit several power facilities. The plant fire was quickly extinguished, and although a transformer was damaged, radiation levels remained normal and no injuries were reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. nuclear watchdog, said it was aware of media reports of a transformer fire “due to military activity” but had not independently confirmed them.
RUSSIAN DRONE CRASHES IN POLISH FIELD AS WARSAW PROTESTS AIRSPACE VIOLATION AND PLANS FORMAL COMPLAINT
A soldier of Ukraine’s National Guard 15th Brigade launches a reconnaissance drone Leleka to determine Russian positions near the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”
Also during the strikes, a fire also broke out at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s Leningrad region. The port is home to a major fuel export terminal.
The regional governor said about 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the area and claimed the debris sparked the blaze.
BATTLE OVER THE BLACK SEA: RUSSIA, UKRAINE STRIKE TOP RESORT CITIES
Ukrainian servicemen of the 44th artillery brigade fire a Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions at the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory Sunday. Ukraine’s air force also said Russia launched 72 drones and decoys and a cruise missile overnight; 48 of the drones were shot down or jammed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in a video from Kyiv’s Independence Square.
NATO JETS SCRAMBLED AMID RUSSIA’S LARGEST DRONE ATTACK ON UKRAINE
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 13, 2025. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” he said, calling for a “just peace.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“What our future will be is up to us alone,” he said, while acknowledging the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska earlier this month, which many worried would sideline Ukrainian interests. “The world knows this, and the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.
