MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Thursday that Ukraine attempted to strike the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, located in the border region of the same name, where Kyiv launched an incursion over two weeks ago.

“The enemy tried to strike the (Kursk) nuclear power plant last night,” Putin said during a meeting in Moscow focused on the situation in the border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk.

Putin stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had been informed of the attempted strike and that the agency had promised to send specialists to assess the situation at the plant.

Kursk Governor Alexey Smirnov, also present at the meeting, assured that the situation at the plant remained stable.

Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it had intercepted a Ukrainian drone over the Kursk region during an overnight attack. Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on these claims.

The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located approximately 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) from the Ukrainian border. — Agencies