Russia accused Ukrainian forces on Friday of striking fuel trucks delivering diesel to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, landing close to the facility's perimeter and killing two Russian servicemen while wounding several others, some seriously, according to Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia's state nuclear energy corporation. Ukraine did not comment on the allegations.
Diesel fuel serves as a critical backup supply at the plant, powering generators that keep nuclear fuel cooled whenever external electricity connections fail. The incident came less than a month after the International Atomic Energy Agency helped arrange a local ceasefire allowing repairs and the restoration of power links at the facility — both external connections had been down for nearly three weeks through August and September.
Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, houses six reactors and currently produces no electricity since Russian forces seized the facility shortly after invading Ukraine in February 2022.
Meanwhile, Russian drone attacks continued to target Ukrainian cities. A drone strike hit an apartment building in Odesa on Saturday, killing two people and injuring 26 others. At least five more were wounded in a separate attack on the port city on Sunday morning. Residential areas across several districts were damaged, and authorities are assessing the destruction. Odesa houses Ukraine's main export hub and has faced repeated missile and drone strikes throughout the war.
Russian attacks also struck several regions in western Ukraine overnight into Sunday, though regional authorities reported no immediate civilian casualties.
