Ukrainian drone targets Russian ‘atomic city’ – governor

An unmanned aircraft has targeted the Russian city of Kurchatov, an industrial hub near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, the governor of Kursk Region said on Friday morning.

The attack resulted in minor damage to a non-residential building, Roman Starovoyt wrote on Telegram. No one was hurt in the incident, he added.

Initial reports claimed that there were two drones which hit an administrative and residential building.

However, the governor said the crash of the second UAV has not been confirmed. A single UAV was mistakenly counted twice as it was flying above the city, he explained.

The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant administration said on Telegram that the drone attack in Kurchatov did not affect operations. The facility is working as usual, with background radiation around the plant remaining within natural levels, it said.

The city of Kurchatov is located in Kursk Region, which shares a border with Ukraine. It was founded in the late 1960s and named after physicist Sergey Kurchatov, known as the father of the Soviet atomic bomb. The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located around 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) from Kurchatov.

In July, a drone went down and exploded in Kurchatov, causing minor damage to the facade of an apartment block and shattering some windows. The incident did not result in casualties or damage to critical infrastructure.

The Russian border regions of Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod, as well as Crimea and Moscow, have been frequently targeted by drones since Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Russian officials have also accused Kiev of plotting acts of sabotage targeting the country’s major infrastructure sites, including nuclear power plants.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that yet another drone was shot down near the town of Lyubertsy on the outskirts of the Russian capital early on Friday. There were no injuries or destruction, he added.

“I am grateful to the military that they didn’t allow Knowledge Day to be spoiled,” Sobyanin said. Knowledge Day is marked on September 1 when children across Russia return to school.

The incursion by the UAV led to around 40 flights being delayed at Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, according to media reports.

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