According to the Washington Post, the mayor of the Russian town of Kurchatov, near the Ukrainian border, said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had launched a surprise incursion into Russia and were marching toward a nuclear power plant.
The news comes as civilians continue to flee Kursk Oblast over fears the conflict will continue to spread into Russian territory. Military commanders are also rushing reinforcements from across the country to the hotspot of the fighting in the Kursk region.
According to The Washington Post, Ukrainian forces launched an offensive operation on Monday in the Kursk Oblast in northeastern Ukraine on the Russian border, capturing more than 20 Russian villages and parts of the city of Suzha. Azerbaijani media outlet Vesti.az quoted Kurchatov Mayor Igor Kolpunkov as saying in a Telegram statement on Friday evening that “the fighting is taking place a few tens of kilometers from the nuclear power plant.”
“The situation is tense and a state of emergency has been declared. However, all services and enterprises, including city authorities, are operating as usual. I myself am monitoring the situation from my workplace in the city,” Kolpunkov added.
“The IAEA is closely monitoring reports of recent developments and has open channels of communication with both sides to the conflict. There is currently no reason for concerns regarding nuclear safety and security,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement to Russian state news agency TASS on Friday.
“IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reiterates that all nuclear power plants, regardless of their location, must never be the target of armed attack,” the agency added.
The Institute for War Studies reported Thursday that Ukrainian forces had penetrated 35 kilometers (22 miles) deep into Russian territory. According to The Guardian, Russian authorities declared a federal state of emergency in Kursk on Friday night as Ukrainian forces continued their advance, wiping out an entire convoy of Russian reinforcements on the E-38 highway.
Late on Friday afternoon, unconfirmed reports published by Ukrainian media outlet OBOZ.UA said a Ukrainian drone had attacked a nuclear power plant substation, knocking out electricity in Kurchatov.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that the invasion of Russia was “within the scope of U.S. policy,” referring to Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory.
As the advance continued, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an emergency meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Friday, but Russian military commander Valery Gerasimov was absent, according to Newsweek magazine.
