A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in the early hours of 24 August, sparking a brief fire and damaging an auxiliary transformer, according to statements from the facility and Russian state media. The drone detonated on impact after being intercepted by air-defence systems deployed around the site, the plant’s press service said. The blast forced operators to reduce output at the plant’s third reactor to 50 percent. Emergency crews extinguished the fire quickly, and the facility reported no injuries. Radiation levels at the plant and in surrounding areas remained within normal limits, the operator added. The incident comes amid an intensifying Ukrainian drone campaign against targets inside Russia. In a separate strike the same night, regional authorities said a Ukrainian drone hit an industrial site in the Samara region, killing one civilian and damaging energy infrastructure.