• Zelenskyy suggests Russian drone attack in western Ukraine targeted nuclear plant.
• Iranian-designed drones strike Khmelnytsky nuclear plant, causing injuries and minor damage.
• IAEA confirms plant’s operations unaffected; highlights dangers to nuclear safety.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that a Russian drone attack in western Ukraine may have been aimed at a nuclear power plant.

On Wednesday, Iranian-designed Shahed drones reportedly struck the vicinity of the power plant located in the Khmelnytsky region in western Ukraine.

The attack resulted in 20 injuries and minor damage, primarily broken windows. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the plant’s operations remained undisturbed despite the attack.

“Powerful explosions shook an area near Ukraine’s Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement. The blasts highlight “the dangers to nuclear safety” posed by the war, he added.

The Khmelnytsky nuclear plant consists of two reactors, with one currently operational and the other undergoing a planned outage since August.

Concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine have persisted ever since Russia’s invasion of the country began in February 2022.

Russian forces have maintained control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine since March 2022.

Kyiv has accused Russia of shelling the plant, risking a potential radiation leak, referring to this behavior as “nuclear terror.” Fortunately, no major accidents have occurred since the full-scale invasion last year.

President Zelenskyy highlighted the recent attack in the Khmelnytsky region as evidence that Ukraine’s air defense systems require additional support from international allies.

He also pointed out that Russian drones and missiles incorporate components from Western companies and countries, emphasizing the dangers of Russia circumventing international sanctions.

In a significant development, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion; £1.2 billion) aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday.

The new aid will include missile defense systems with the aim of creating a “protective shield” around Ukrainian infrastructure, given Russian plans “to use the cold and energy shortages as weapons against the civilian population”, he said.

In a separate incident, Ukrainian intelligence reported on Thursday that a vehicle carrying four individuals from Russia’s FSB security service was struck by an explosion in Berdyansk, located in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Russian media sources indicated that at least one person lost their life due to what appears to be an improvised explosive device.

This reported bombing marks the most recent occurrence in a series of attacks directed at Russian officials and individuals cooperating with the occupation in Ukraine.

Back in September, Vladimir Malov, a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party in the Kherson region, suffered a fatal explosion when his vehicle was targeted in what seemed to be an assassination.

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