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 reported that the strikes targeted multiple power facilities. The fire at the plant was swiftly put out. Although a transformer sustained damage, radiation levels stayed normal, and there were no injuries.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog acknowledged being informed of media reports about a transformer fire “due to military activity,” but it had not confirmed these reports independently.
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.”
“Our future is solely ours to decide,” he stated, while noting the U.S.-Russia summit held in Alaska earlier this month, which many feared might overlook Ukrainian concerns.
“And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal,” he said.
