MOSCOW

Rosenergoatom, the nuclear power plant operating division of Russia's State Nuclear Power Corporation Rosatom, announced on Friday that the fourth unit at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will be disconnected from the grid for scheduled maintenance.

The maintenance is set to begin on August 25 and will involve approximately 2,000 experts. The process is expected to last 59 days, according to Rosenergoatom's statement.

Meanwhile, fierce clashes have continued in Kursk, and Russian security officials reported an attempted drone attack on the power plant last night. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova called for a swift response from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding what she described as an act of "nuclear terrorism" by Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine attempted to attack the Kursk NPP on the previous night. On August 17, Rosatom indicated that the situation around the Kursk NPP had deteriorated due to Ukrainian attacks.

Clashes intensified in the Kursk region following a Ukrainian army offensive that began on August 6.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun in Istanbul