UN nuclear watchdog confirms normal radiation levels near Kursk power plant

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Sunday that radiation levels near Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant were normal after a Ukrainian drone triggered fire.

"IAEA monitoring confirms normal radiation levels near Kursk NPP; Russia says reactor unit’s power reduced due to auxiliary transformer damage but fire extinguished and no injuries," the UN nuclear watchdog wrote on US social media company X.

A Ukrainian drone triggered a fire at the nuclear plant after being downed overnight, damaging a transformer and forcing a 50% reduction in output at one of its reactors, the plant’s press service said early Sunday.

The Kursk NPP, one of Russia’s largest, supplies power to 19 regions in the Central Federal District. It lies about 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) west of the city of Kursk and 93 kilometers (57.7 miles) from the Ukrainian border.