UAV event in Bryansk, Russian Federation on Tue 9th January 2024

Ukraine launched a series of drones across the border into Russia early on Tuesday, with one drone shot down close to one of Moscow's nuclear power plants, according to Russian state media and a local official, the latest in the series of nuclear worries that have plagued the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported several unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strikes from Ukraine on Tuesday. The Kremlin said its air defenses had shot down one drone over the Belgorod region, destroyed four UAVs over the Kursk region and another two over the Oryol region, all close to the border with northeastern Ukraine.

Russia then said it had stopped another two UAVs over Kursk and Oryol, followed shortly after by another drone over the Bryansk region.

One of the Ukrainian drones was downed over the Kurchatov area of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, the governor of the Kursk region, said in a post to Telegram. It was destroyed close to the site of a nuclear power station, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian military for comment via email.