High-risk attacks threaten Kursk nuclear power plant amid Ukraine conflict

The head of Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom expressed serious concerns on Tuesday about the increased risk of attacks on a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region, after Ukrainian forces breached Russian defenses last month, according to state news agency RIA.

Last week, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog visited the plant and warned of the possibility of a serious accident. The arrest came after Russian accusations that Ukraine had attacked the plant with drones.

Ukrainian troops entered the Kursk region on August 6, and as a result of the confrontation, fighting broke out within a radius of about 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the nuclear facility.

(Based on information from the agency.)