Moscow says Kyiv has struck a nuclear power plant as Ukraine marks
Independence Day
[August 25, 2025]
By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN
Russia accused Ukraine on Sunday of launching drone attacks that sparked
a fire at a nuclear power plant in its western Kursk region overnight,
as Ukraine celebrated 34 years since its independence.
Russian officials said several power and energy facilities were targeted
in the overnight strikes. The fire at the nuclear facility was quickly
extinguished with no injuries reported, according to the plant’s press
service on Telegram. While the attack damaged a transformer, radiation
levels remained within normal ranges.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports
that a transformer at the plants had caught fire “due to military
activity,” but hadn’t received independent confirmation. It said its
director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that “every nuclear
facility must be protected at all times.”
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack.
Firefighters also responded to a blaze at the port of Ust-Luga in
Russia’s Leningrad region, home to a major fuel export terminal. The
regional governor said approximately 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down,
with debris igniting the fire.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted 95
Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight into Sunday.
Russia fired 72 drones and decoys, along with a cruise missile, into
Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukraine’s air force said. Of these, 48
drones were shot down or jammed.
Another wartime Independence Day
The incidents occurred as Ukraine marked Independence Day, commemorating
its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered remarks in a video address from Kyiv’s
Independence Square, emphasizing the nation’s resolve.
“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to
live in security and peace,” Zelenskyy said, calling for a “just peace.”
“What our future will be is up to us alone,” he said, in a nod to the
U.S.–Russia summit in Alaska earlier in August, which many feared would
leave Ukrainian and European interests sidelined.
“And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects
Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal,” he said.
U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg was in attendance at Independence Day
celebrations in Kyiv, during which Zelenskyy awarded him the Ukrainian
Order of Merit, of the 1st degree.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Kyiv on Sunday morning
for meetings with Zelenskyy.
“On this special day — Ukraine’s Independence Day — it is especially
important for us to feel the support of our friends. And Canada has
always stood by our side,” wrote Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of
staff.
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A Ukrainian soldier cries after returning from captivity following a
POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region,
Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (AP Photo)
Military aid and prayers for peace
In a joint news conference with Zelenskyy, Carney said Canada will
invest 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.5 billion) in new military
assistance for Ukraine to boost its army and provide urgently needed
weapons.
Zelenskyy said the two leaders were considering the presence of
Canadian forces on the ground in Ukraine as part of a reassurance
force.
Norway announced significant new military aid Sunday, pledging about
7 billion kroner ($695 million) for air defense systems. Prime
Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Norway and Germany are jointly
funding two Patriot systems, including missiles, with Norway also
helping procure air defense radar.
Pope Leo XIV prayed Sunday for peace in Ukraine as he marked the
country’s Independence Day with a special appeal during his weekly
noon blessing. He said the faithful were joining Ukrainians “asking
that the Lord give peace to their martyred country.”
Leo also sent a telegram to Zelenskyy, which the Ukrainian leader
posted on X along with similar notes from other world leaders.
In the letter, Leo assured his prayers for all Ukrainians who are
suffering, and wrote: “I implore the Lord to move the hearts of
people of good will, that the clamor of arms may fall silent and
give way to dialogue, opening the path to peace for the good of
all.”
A war of attrition
Meanwhile, Russia’s troops continued their push in eastern and
northern Ukraine, where Russia claimed Saturday that its forces had
seized two villages in the Donetsk region. The Main Intelligence
Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukraine
had taken back control of the village of Novomykhailivka, also in
the Donetsk region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that 146 Russian servicemen
had been returned from Ukraine, in exchange for the same number of
Ukrainian servicemen. The ministry said the latest exchange also
included eight residents of Russia’s Kursk region, which was subject
to a surprise Ukrainian incursion in August 2024, who were returned
to Russia after being held in Ukraine.
Shortly after the Russian announcement, Zelenskyy said “our people
are coming home." He said that those being exchanged included
members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State
Border Guard Service and civilians. “Most of them had been in
captivity since 2022,” he said.
Zelenskyy did not confirm the number of prisoners involved in the
exchange.
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