Russia accuses Ukraine of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant with a drone By Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant overnight in what it called an act of “nuclear terrorism”, days before the head of the UN atomic watchdog was due to visit the site.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation, the second Moscow has made in two days.

The nuclear plant is located in western Russia’s Kursk region, where fierce fighting has erupted since Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion on August 6.

Russian state news agency TASS cited an unnamed source as saying the drone was shot down near a spent nuclear fuel storage facility. Reuters could not independently confirm details of the alleged incident.

TASS quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying it was an “act of nuclear terrorism” that required an immediate response from the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency .

The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, is due to visit the plant next week. He called for maximum restraint to avoid a nuclear accident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin first accused Ukraine on Thursday of trying to attack the facility and said Moscow had informed the IAEA. He did not provide details or evidence of a Ukrainian attack.

Ukraine’s August 6 lightning incursion into Kursk, the largest foreign power invasion of Russia since World War II, saw thousands of Ukrainian troops cross Russia’s western border, catching Moscow by surprise.

Fierce fighting about 30 km (18 miles) from the nuclear plant has taken place since then, as Russian troops battle to push back Ukrainian soldiers who have sought to consolidate and expand the territory they control.

The plant has four reactors, two of which are operational. Construction of two more reactors began in 2018.

Russian state nuclear firm Rosenergoatom said on Friday that Unit 4 at the plant would be disconnected from the grid on Sunday for what it called “scheduled preventive maintenance” lasting 59 days. He said the work would involve upgrading and extending the life of the equipment.