Putin Accuses Ukraine of Attempting to Strike Kursk Nuclear Plant; IAEA Calls for “Maximum Restraint”

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Thursday of attempting to strike the nuclear plant in the city of Kursk at a time when Kyiv’s forces have been conducting a large-scale offensive in the region for over two weeks. Putin, speaking during a meeting with his government and regional governors bordering Ukraine, said on Russian television, “The enemy attempted to strike the nuclear plant during the night,” without providing any evidence for the claim. He added that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had been informed.

There have been no reports in Russian media regarding an attempted attack on the plant, which has been under scrutiny since the start of the large-scale Ukrainian offensive across the border in the Russian region of Kursk on August 6.

A spokesperson for the IAEA informed AFP earlier on Thursday that the agency’s Director General Rafael Grossi plans to visit the plant next week, located about 50 kilometers from the conflict zone between Russian and Ukrainian forces. However, the IAEA has not mentioned any Ukrainian attempt to strike the site, nor has it published any evidence to that effect.

Moscow has been warning for several days of the “risk” of a nuclear disaster if the Ukrainian military were to attack the plant, without providing any details. The IAEA has called for “maximum restraint” around the site “to avoid a nuclear incident with serious radiological consequences.” Grossi stated that he is in personal contact with the relevant authorities in both countries.

The agency has regularly warned since the start of the war of the risk of a nuclear incident, especially at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022. The plant has ceased operations but has been repeatedly struck, with Russia and Ukraine trading blame for the attacks.