KURSK, January 25. /TASS/. Kursk Region authorities will introduce additional measures to protect the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), as well as the city of Kurchatov and entry to the town, First Deputy Governor of the region Alexey Smirnov said at a meeting of the regional government.
In October 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces targeted the Kursk NPP with three drones. One of the UAVs, packed with explosives, crashed into a nuclear waste storage facility. The other two landed on the plant's complex of administrative buildings. In November, the threat posed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempts to attack the plant was very real. Attacks and crashes by Ukrainian drones have been repeatedly recorded in Kurchatov, where the NPP is located.
"At the request of the Kursk NPP, the city and district administration, under the leadership of the governor, we considered the issue of the safety of residents and the NPP at the emergency operations center. This is first and foremost a priority in our work. We decided to take additional measures to ensure safety, to protect the approaches to Kurchatov, the NPP, and the cooling pond. It will be necessary to organize additional measures, to keep an eye on this," Smirnov said.
According to Kursk Region Governor Roman Starovoit, more details will be given in a revised decision of the region's anti-terrorist commission. Previously, the Kursk region was placed on high terrorist alert for the period of enhanced measures to protect and safeguard the territory. Since October 19, 2022, a medium threat level has been in place. The authorities have strengthened the protection of infrastructure and schools. Work is carried out to inspect railway and road stations; the use of drones is prohibited.
The Kursk NPP, operated by Rosenergoatom, is part of the power division of the Rosatom State Corporation. Kursk NPP-2 is being built to replace the retiring power units of the existing plant. The commissioning of the first two power units of Kursk NPP-2 is planned to be synchronized with the decommissioning of the first and second power units of the operating plant.