Ukrainian forces carried out overnight attacks against Russian energy infrastructure into Sunday, according to Russian officials and media outlets, while Ukraine rejected Moscow’s accusations that Ukrainian forces targeted a nuclear facility under Russian control.
Fallen drone wreckage ignited a blaze at a fuel storage site in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, according to Gov. Yuriy Slyusar’s Sunday announcement on Telegram. Local residents living near the facility were moved to safety, he reported.
The aerial attacks also caused harm to civilian infrastructure in Saratov province, located in southwestern Russia, Gov. Roman Busargin stated. An independent Russian media outlet, Astra, reported that an oil refinery was burning in Saratov, the region’s main city.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russia’s petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, contending that the energy industry provides both financial support and literal fuel for Moscow’s invasion that has lasted more than four years.
At the same time, Kyiv rejected Russia’s accusations that Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility, which stands as the largest nuclear installation in both Ukraine and Europe.
Russian military units seized control of the facility during the conflict’s initial weeks, and it continues to sit near active combat zones in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, one of four territories Russia has officially claimed while lacking complete military dominance or global acceptance of its seizure.
Rosatom, Russia’s government nuclear energy corporation, announced Saturday that the drone detonated after creating an opening in a turbine hall wall. Rosatom’s chief executive Alexei Likhachev blamed Ukraine for an intentional assault.
“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation,” Likhachev stated. He noted that primary equipment sustained no harm.
Ukraine’s armed forces dismissed Russia’s “yet another propaganda ploy,” declaring they neither attacked nor aimed at the facility. Military officials stated in their response that they follow international humanitarian law and understand the “consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.”
“Along the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used,” the statement read.
Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed “serious concern” about the incident in a social media post on X.
Ukraine’s national nuclear oversight body said the alleged damage reported by Russia requires confirmation by IAEA specialists stationed at the Zaporizhzhia facility as part of an ongoing monitoring operation.
The Zaporizhzhia installation has faced repeated bombardment since Russia’s comprehensive invasion began in February 2022, creating anxiety about potential nuclear disasters. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of deliberately targeting the plant.
In other developments, Ukraine’s air defense reported Sunday that it intercepted 212 out of 299 drones Russia deployed overnight. Officials said 14 drones successfully hit their intended targets, while drone fragments landed in five separate areas.
Russian drones hit the city of Dnipro and an oil processing facility in Ukraine’s Rivne region, sparking fires, local authorities reported.
Oleksandr Koval, who leads Rivne’s regional government, confirmed no casualties occurred at the refinery and that emergency responders were on scene.
