Overview
- IAEA inspectors reported pieces of debris and burned optical‑fibre that were consistent with a drone impact at Unit 6 of the Russian‑held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and they said radiation levels were normal following their examination.
- Rosatom and Russian officials say a Ukrainian drone struck the turbine/machine hall and caused a hole in the wall, while Ukraine has flatly denied any strike and called the claims a propaganda ploy.
- Ukrainian forces have carried out a stepped‑up campaign of long‑range drone strikes on Russian energy sites, with confirmed or reported hits on refineries, oil depots and a pipeline pumping station in Saratov, Rostov, Kirov and other regions.
- Both sides reported mass aerial attacks overnight, with Ukraine saying it shot down most incoming Russian drones and missiles and multiple Ukrainian regions reporting civilian deaths and damage from Russian strikes.
- The incident has increased diplomatic pressure for more air‑defence supplies to Ukraine, intensified mutual accusations over nuclear safety, and raised regional spillover fears after drone debris fell in NATO‑member Romania.