Ukraine – Russia, fighting in the Kursk region. “Strategic Gazprom facility” under Ukrainian control

On Friday, the Ukrainian military released a statement in which it announced that Ukrainian armed forces had taken control of the city of Suja in the Kursk region of western Russia and the local “strategic Gazprom facility.”

– The city is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The city is quiet and all the buildings are intact. Gazprom’s strategic facility in the city of Suja is under the control of the 99th Mechanized Battalion of the 61st Independent Grassland Brigade, one of the soldiers on record said. Via the Union website.

Reuters, which reported the publication of the recording in Ukrainian media, noted that it could not be verified, and Ukraine’s civil servants did not comment on the matter.

Also read: Landing on Russian-occupied spit. “Dozens of Occupiers Removed”

A day earlier, on Thursday, The Washington Post, citing an anonymous adviser to the President of Ukraine, wrote that Ukrainian forces had occupied a gas measuring station in Shuja, through which gas is being sent to Europe.

Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located about 70 km from Shuja. According to the media, the Russians are preparing to secure the facility.

The city of Kurchatov, population 42,000 – home to one of Russia’s largest nuclear power plants – is without power due to the presence of the Ukrainian’s remains, the governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, announced on Friday, Reuters noted. The drone crashed into a substation and caused a fire.

Earlier, the mayor of the city, Igor Gorbunkov, reported on the ongoing fighting several dozen kilometers from the Kursk power plant.

The events coincided with actions by Russian security forces, which blocked access to the power plant on Friday afternoon. A source from Vazhnye Istorii said the facility’s management instructed staff to take unpaid leave and evacuate the children.

And on Friday, a federal state of emergency was introduced in the Kursk region. The reason is the ongoing Ukrainian offensive there since Tuesday. This was the first time since 1941 that foreign forces had invaded Russian territory. According to Russian sources, around 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers entered the area, backed by tanks, armored vehicles, drones and artillery. According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in some places Ukrainian forces are already 35 km.

The Vazhnye Istorii website noted that Kursk is the only nuclear power plant where new power units are being built. Blocks under construction were disconnected from the network and employees left the premises. The website added that construction workers have been leaving the area since Wednesday. Rosatom confirmed that their numbers have been reduced at the Kursk power plant.

Well-known Russian blogger “Alex Parker” wrote about the manufactured safety of the power plant. According to him, groups of 5-20 Ukrainian soldiers were seen about 39 km from the power plant. There are reports of fights in the town of Kromskije Byki, about 30 km from Jim.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (EMEA), Rafael Croci, called on Friday for Russia and Ukraine to exercise “maximum restraint” in fighting in the area where the nuclear power plant is located.

Russia’s embassy in Vienna reported that components had been found at the nuclear power plant, possibly from downed missiles, Russian agencies said. However, as Reuters emphasized, there was no evidence of a direct attack.