MOSCOW, May 31: Ukraine launched fresh overnight drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, Russian officials reported on Sunday, while Kyiv denied Moscow’s allegations that a Ukrainian drone had struck the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
In Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, drone debris sparked a fire at a fuel storage facility, prompting the evacuation of residents living nearby, according to regional Governor Yuriy Slyusar.
Authorities in the neighboring Saratov region also reported damage to civilian infrastructure. Independent Russian media outlet Astra said an oil refinery in the regional capital, Saratov, caught fire following the attacks.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil and gas facilities in recent months, arguing that the energy sector plays a critical role in financing and supporting Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
At the same time, Kyiv rejected Russian claims that a Ukrainian drone struck the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility. The plant, located in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, has been under Russian control since the early stages of the war and remains close to active front lines.
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said a Ukrainian drone hit the turbine hall of Unit 6, creating a hole in the building and exploding on impact. Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev described the incident as a deliberate attack but said no critical equipment was damaged.
Ukraine’s military dismissed the accusation as a propaganda effort, insisting that its forces did not target the facility. Kyiv stated that no military activity occurred in that sector at the time and stressed its commitment to international humanitarian law and awareness of the risks associated with attacks on nuclear sites.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, expressed serious concern over the reported incident. Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory agency called for independent verification by IAEA experts stationed at the plant as part of an ongoing monitoring mission.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 212 of the 299 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Fourteen drones reportedly reached their targets, while debris fell in several locations. Russian drone strikes also caused fires in the city of Dnipro and at an oil refinery in Ukraine’s Rivne region. Local authorities said no casualties were reported at the refinery, and emergency crews were working at the site. (AP)
