Putin accuses Ukraine of targeting Russian nuclear plant in overnight attack

Russian president says Kyiv aimed to strike Kursk plant; IAEA notified, situation stable, according to local governor

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MOSCOW:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused Ukraine of trying to strike Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant in an overnight attack and said Moscow had informed the UN nuclear safety watchdog about the situation.

Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov told Putin that the situation at the Kursk plant, which has four Soviet graphite-moderated RBMK-1000 reactors, was "stable".

"The enemy tried to strike at the nuclear power plant during the night today," Putin told a meeting of senior officials about the situation in Russian border regions.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency has been informed, they promise to come themselves and send specialists to assess the situation," Putin said.

He did not provide further details about the incident or provide documentary evidence to back up his assertion. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine and Reuters was unable to independently confirm the attack.

Ukraine's lightning Aug. 6 incursion into Kursk, the biggest into Russia by a foreign power since World War Two, saw thousands of Ukrainian troops punch through Russia's western border, apparently catching Moscow by surprise.

Fierce fighting around 30 km (18 miles) from the nuclear plant has since then has raged as Russian troops battle to dislodge the Ukrainian soldiers who have sought to consolidate and expand the territory they control.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Aug. 9 appealed for maximum restraint to avoid a nuclear accident at the Kursk plant.

Two of the RBMK-1000 reactors are in shutdown and two are fully operational. Construction of Kursk-2, essentially new reactors of the VVER-TOI type, was begun in 2018. The two reactors are not operational yet.

Smirnov told Putin that 133,190 people had left or been evacuated from his region.

Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz told Putin that border forces had repelled an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance team from entering the region, which lies northwest of Kursk.