IAEA reports Russian drones buzzing near two Ukrainian nuclear power plants

The agency said its staff heard drone noises and small-arms fire in the early hours of Sept. 10 near the cities of Netishyn and Varash, both located a few kilometers from the nuclear facilities. 

The IAEA recorded nine UAVs flying as close as three kilometers (about 1.9 miles) from the Khmelnytskyi plant and 13 UAVs near the Rivne NPP.

“I’m deeply concerned about last night’s events,” the statement quoted IAEA Director Rafael Grossi.

“According to our teams on the ground, these were unusually large-scale military activities close to these two nuclear power plants, which should never happen. Once again, I reiterate my call for maximum military restraint near such facilities. A severe nuclear accident would be in no one’s interest and must be avoided at all cost.”

In the same overnight assault focused largely on western Ukraine, explosions were reported in Kyiv, Lviv, Lutsk and other cities. In Vinnytsia, industrial sites were hit and about 30 homes were damaged. In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, three people were injured and a sewing factory was destroyed. In Zhytomyr, one person was killed and another was wounded.

Ukraine’s air defenses say they intercepted 413 of the 458 drones and missiles Russia launched.

Polish PM Donald Tusk had earlier reported that 19 Russian drones were detected in the country’s airspace overnight, with some entering from Belarus. Preliminary reports indicated that four were shot down. Poland’s Interior Ministry also confirmed the discovery of debris from an unidentified missile.

One drone struck a residential building in the village of Wyrki-Wola in Lublin Voivodeship. The building was damaged, but no one was injured.