Top News

Russia said a fire broke out Sunday at a Russian nuclear power plant after its military downed a Ukrainian drone.

 

The "device detonated" upon impact at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in western Russia, sparking a blaze, officials said.

 

The plant is near the Russia-Ukraine border and sits to the west of Kursk city.

 

Authorities said that the fire was put out and there were no casualties.

 

"The radiation background at the industrial site of the Kursk NPP and the surrounding area has not changed and corresponds to natural levels," the plant wrote on Telegram.

 

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of the dangers of fighting around nuclear plants since Russia launched its full-scall invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

 

Ukraine celebrates Independence Day
 

Ukraine is celebrating its Independence Day on Sunday, marking its exit from the Soviet Union 34 years ago.

 

The day also marks three and a half years since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

 

A day ago, on Saturday, the war-torn nation marked its National Flag Day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a ceremony in Kyiv to mark the occasion.

 

"This very flag embodies a feeling of deliverance for those we bring back from Russian captivity," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. "When they see the Ukrainian colors, they understand: the evil is over."

 

The blue-and-yellow flag also represented a symbol of hope for Ukrainians living in territory occupied by the Russians, he said.

 

Pentagon blocks Ukraine's long-range missile strikes on Russia, WSJ reports
 

The Pentagon has been quietly blocking Ukraine from using US-made long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike targets inside Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.

 

If true, the move represents a severe limitation on Kyiv's ability to use a powerful weapon in its fight against Moscow’s invasion.

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has final say over Kyiv's use of long-range US-made weapons as well as those supplied to Ukraine by European allies that rely on US intelligence and components, the WSJ said.

 

The news came as US President Donald Trump has grown more frustrated publicly over the three-year-old war and his inability to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

 

Trump said on Friday that he would soon make a decision on either slapping Russia with economic sanctions or, alternatively, walking away from the peace process.

---