Russia Accuses Ukraine of Drone Strikes as Independence Day Marked with Escalating Attacks

Moscow has accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drone attacks, including one that sparked a fire at the Kursk nuclear power plant, as Ukrainians marked the 34th anniversary of their independence from the Soviet Union.

Russian authorities said the drone strike on the Kursk nuclear plant in western Russia, about 37 miles (60km) from the Ukrainian border, damaged an auxiliary transformer and forced a 50% reduction in the operating capacity of one reactor. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reported attack. A fire caused by the drone, which was shot down, was extinguished without casualties or increased radiation levels, according to the plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, confirmed that radiation levels near the plant remained “normal.” The agency has consistently warned about the risks of fighting near nuclear facilities since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Russia’s defence ministry reported that at least 95 Ukrainian drones were intercepted on Sunday across more than a dozen Russian regions. Ukrainian drones were also shot down far from the frontline, including near St Petersburg. In Russia’s Leningrad region, debris from downed drones ignited a fire at the port of Ust-Luga, home to a large fuel export terminal. The regional governor said about 10 drones had been shot down in the area.

Ukraine’s military has increasingly relied on drones in its fight against Russia, targeting oil infrastructure to undermine one of Moscow’s main revenue sources for funding the war. On Sunday, Ukraine said Russia had attacked with a ballistic missile and 72 Iranian-made Shahed drones, of which 48 were shot down. A Russian drone strike killed a 47-year-old woman in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, local officials said.

On the battlefield, Russia claimed advances in the eastern Donetsk region, including the capture of two villages on Saturday. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, countered that Ukrainian forces had reclaimed three other villages in the same region, which has become central to ongoing peace discussions.

At Kyiv’s independence celebrations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared, “This is how Ukraine strikes when its calls for peace are ignored,” adding that Ukraine had secured its independence and would not be defeated. He said that direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be “the most effective way forward” in efforts to end the war. Zelenskyy also stressed that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine after the war would be “important” as the country explored security guarantees with its allies.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, visiting Kyiv for the occasion, said it was not “the choice of Russia how the future sovereignty, independence, liberty of Ukraine is guaranteed.” U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg also attended the celebrations, where Zelenskyy awarded him the country’s order of merit.

When asked about reports that the U.S. had revoked permission for strikes deep inside Russia as former U.S. President Donald Trump pursued a mediation effort with Putin, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was now using its own weapons to strike Russia and did not consult Washington over such decisions.

On the same day, Ukraine and Russia confirmed a prisoner exchange in which each side returned 146 prisoners of war and civilians. Such swaps remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Currently, Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. President Putin has repeatedly rejected calls from Ukraine and Western nations for an immediate ceasefire. The conflict has displaced millions and left widespread devastation across eastern and southern Ukraine.