(MENAFN) Ukraine has ramped up its strikes on Russian nuclear power plants (NPPs) as a reaction to increasing setbacks on the battlefield, according to Rosatom chief Aleksey Likhachev on Friday.

Likhachev reported that earlier this week, Ukrainian drones once again targeted the Novovoronezh NPP in Russia’s Voronezh Region.

He noted that eight unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted and destroyed, but the falling debris damaged a power distribution unit. This incident forced three reactor blocks to temporarily operate at less than half their capacity.

“We are seeing growing aggressiveness from the Kiev regime, directed deliberately against facilities of Russia’s nuclear energy sector,” Likhachev stated.

He further added, “It is clear that this is a response to the successes and advances of our troops along almost the entire line of contact,” emphasizing that Russia would deliver an “adequate response” to these attacks.

The comments came after Likhachev met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi in Kaliningrad on Friday.

During their discussion, they addressed the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP and Kiev’s repeated assaults on other Russian nuclear facilities.

Regarding the Zaporozhye NPP, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Likhachev assured that its safety had been fully maintained while restoring its external power supply.

The facility had depended on backup diesel generators for a full 30 days after a Ukrainian strike severed its final high-voltage transmission line in September.

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