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Current-state JSON is free at /api/v1/incidents under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Nuclear News Network; see the NNN Data License Terms for history surfaces. To report an incident or correction: corrections@nuclearnewsnetwork.com.
Security
Energy Infrastructure Drone Incident Tracker
A structured, source-cited log of drone incursions, overflights and attacks at nuclear plants and other energy infrastructure. Every entry carries its sources, a confidence grade, and an attribution status — recorded as reported, never upgraded by inference. Background: counter-drone defense, explained and why nuclear plants can't shoot down drones.
38 incidents
| Date | Facility | Country | Outcome | Drones | Attribution | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | The IAEA reported physical damage to buildings inside the Zaporizhzhia plant's protected area following a reported drone attack; it observed broken windows and pavement damage near Units 4 and 5, with no casualties or radiation leaks reported. [source] |
| 2026-09-30 | Institute for Nuclear Research, Kyiv | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | A Russian UAV struck the grounds of Kyiv's Institute for Nuclear Research, where the VVR-M research reactor is located, starting a fire that was extinguished; the reactor and safety systems were not damaged. [source] |
| 2026-09-17 | Kursk II Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 1) | Russia | Attack | 1 | Unattributed | A drone struck the cooling tower of Unit 1 of the Kursk II Nuclear Power Plant (Kursk NPP-2); the IAEA said the unit's operating mode was unchanged and no fire occurred, while Rosatom reported minor damage. [source] |
| 2026-09-09 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (training centre) | Ukraine | Attack | — | Combat-related | The IAEA team at Zaporizhzhia NPP was informed of 9 September attacks on a civilian vehicle in front of the site's training centre — outside the site's protected area — and on the training centre itself; the reported timing corresponded with explosions and drones heard by the IAEA team at the site. [source] |
| 2026-09-05 → 2026-09-11 | Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 15 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that the Chornobyl site detected 15 drones in its monitoring area over the week of 5-11 September amid continued military activity near the site. [source] |
| 2026-09-05 → 2026-09-11 | Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 2 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that Khmelnytskyi NPP detected two drones in its monitoring area over the week of 5-11 September; the IAEA team on site had to shelter on 9 September because of an air raid alert and was requested to shelter again on 10 September. [source] |
| 2026-09-05 → 2026-09-11 | Rivne Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 3 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that Rivne NPP detected three drones in its monitoring area over the week of 5-11 September amid continued military activity near the plant. [source] |
| 2026-09-05 → 2026-09-11 | South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 13 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that South Ukraine NPP detected 13 drones in its monitoring area over the week of 5-11 September amid continued military activity near the plant. [source] |
| 2026-08-29 → 2026-09-04 | Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 17 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that the Chornobyl facility detected 17 drones over the week amid continued military activity in plant monitoring areas. [source] |
| 2026-08-29 → 2026-09-04 | Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 1 | Combat-related | IAEA reported a drone detected six kilometres from the Khmelnytskyi NPP on the afternoon of 2 September, prompting the IAEA team on site to take shelter, amid continued military activity in plant monitoring areas. [source] |
| 2026-08-29 → 2026-09-04 | Rivne Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 3 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that Rivne NPP detected three drones over the week amid continued military activity in plant monitoring areas. [source] |
| 2026-08-29 → 2026-09-04 | South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 28 | Combat-related | IAEA reported that South Ukraine NPP detected 28 drones over the week, some as close as three kilometres from the site, amid continued military activity in plant monitoring areas. [source] |
| 2026-08-18 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | IAEA said a drone exploded around 6 a.m. at a bus stop used by Zaporizhzhia plant staff and subcontractors, causing 16 casualties including one death; Al Jazeera reported Russia asserted it was a Ukrainian strike, which Ukraine did not confirm in the cited reporting. [source] |
| 2026-07-12 | Gösgen Nuclear Power Plant | Switzerland | Overflight | 7 | Unattributed | A resident reported at least seven drones heading toward the Gösgen plant around 22:30; Solothurn cantonal police confirmed the sighting and opened an investigation. The operator said nuclear safety was not affected. [source] |
| 2026-06-07 | Centralised Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (Chornobyl exclusion zone) | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | A drone struck the Centralised Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, causing significant structural damage to part of the fuel reception building, including the IAEA safeguards office; spent fuel in casks sat a few hundred metres away and radiation levels remained normal. Ukrainian officials including President Zelensky said a Russian Shahed drone was responsible; the IAEA did not attribute blame. [source] |
| 2026-05-31 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | IAEA reported a drone hit at the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant; days later the agency brokered a localized ceasefire to allow repairs. [source] |
| 2025-12-04 | Île Longue naval base (SSBN home port) | France | Intercepted | 5 | Unattributed | French authorities reported five small unarmed drones over the Île Longue nuclear-submarine base; Marine Fusiliers jammed them. No drones were recovered and no operator was identified. [source] |
| 2025-11 | Doel Nuclear Power Station | Belgium | Overflight | 3 | Suspected state actor | Three drones were observed over the Doel nuclear plant during the autumn 2025 Belgian drone incursions that also shut Brussels and Liège airports. [source] |
| 2025-11-06 | SCK CEN Nuclear Research Centre (Mol) | Belgium | Overflight | 1 | Unattributed | Belgian police confirmed a drone over the SCK CEN nuclear research centre in Mol on the evening of 6 November 2025, during the same national wave that included Doel; no operator was identified. [source] |
| 2025-09-25 → 2025-09-26 | Kiel coastal power plant | Germany | Surveillance | — | Suspected state actor | Drone formations surveyed the Kiel power plant and other Schleswig-Holstein infrastructure during the September 2025 European drone wave. [source] |
| 2025-09-24 → 2025-09-25 | South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Intercepted | 22 | Combat-related | IAEA reported a drone was downed and detonated about 800 metres from the South Ukraine plant perimeter; 22 UAVs were observed in the monitoring zone, with no damage to the plant. [source] |
| 2025-08-24 | Kursk Nuclear Power Plant | Russia | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | Rosatom and Reuters reported a drone downed near Kursk NPP damaged an auxiliary transformer and sparked a fire; Kursk-3 output was cut. IAEA said it had no independent confirmation of the strike but radiation readings near the plant remained normal. [source] |
| 2025-08-17 | Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant | Russia | Intercepted | 1 | Combat-related | Russian authorities said electronic warfare intercepted a UAV near Smolensk Unit 3; the operator reported a detonation that broke windows, with no effect on operations or radiation levels. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claim. [source] |
| 2025-07-26 | Genkai Nuclear Power Station | Japan | Overflight | 3 | Unattributed | Kyushu Electric and Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported three drone-like objects over the Genkai plant around 21:00; reactors logged no abnormalities. [source] |
| 2025-05-22 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | IAEA reported a drone attack and gunfire at the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, one of a series of drone impacts at or near the site during the war. [source] |
| 2025-02-14 | Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (New Safe Confinement) | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | IAEA reported a drone struck the New Safe Confinement arch over Chernobyl Unit 4, breaching cladding and starting a fire; radiation levels remained normal. [source] |
| 2025-02 | Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant | US | Overflight | 4 | Unattributed | Four drones were sighted over the Prairie Island plant in Minnesota in early 2025; operators not identified. [source] |
| 2024-12 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Attack | 1 | Combat-related | A drone struck an official IAEA vehicle en route to the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, the most direct drone hit on the agency's mission to date. [source] |
| 2024-12 → 2024-12-20 | Multiple US reactors and military facilities (New Jersey, Louisiana) | US | Overflight | — | Unattributed | Large unexplained drone wave over the US Northeast passed over power reactors and military bases; NORTHCOM reported neither identification nor engagement authority. Part of 26+ documented US reactor overflights in 2024. [source] |
| 2024-09-20 → 2024-09-22 | Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Overflight | 8 | Combat-related | IAEA teams at Khmelnytskyi reported drones flying a few kilometres from the plant over successive nights, including a UAV detected about 3.4 km from the site and anti-aircraft fire; no plant damage. [source] |
| 2024-08-08 → 2024-08-22 | Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (shut down) / Brunsbüttel industrial zone | Germany | Surveillance | — | Unattributed | Schleswig-Holstein police and German prosecutors opened a probe after repeated drone flights over the Brunsbüttel critical-infrastructure zone: ChemCoast Park, the LNG terminal and the shut-down Brunsbüttel nuclear plant. Operators of the flights were not identified in public reporting. [source] |
| 2024-04-07 | Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant | Ukraine | Attack | — | Combat-related | IAEA experts confirmed drone detonations at Zaporizhzhia including minor scorching on the Unit 6 reactor containment dome; no damage to systems important to nuclear safety. [source] |
| 2022-09-25 → 2022-10-29 | Susquehanna Steam Electric Station | US | Overflight | — | Unattributed | NRC records released under FOIA log at least eight drone incursions over Susquehanna in five weeks, including multi-drone nights and a larger triangular object; operators were not identified. [source] |
| 2022-01-14 | Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant | Sweden | Surveillance | 1 | Unattributed | A large drone was observed over Forsmark during a wave of sightings at Swedish nuclear plants; Swedish security police took over the investigation. [source] |
| 2022-01-14 → 2022-01-20 | Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant | Sweden | Overflight | — | Unattributed | Drones were reported over Ringhals during the mid-January 2022 Swedish nuclear-plant sighting wave. The Swedish Security Service took over the investigation; no operator was identified and the case was later dropped. [source] |
| 2022-01-13 → 2022-01-20 | Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant | Sweden | Overflight | — | Unattributed | Oskarshamn accounted for the largest share of the January 2022 Swedish nuclear-plant drone reports (SVT: six of 14 cases later reviewed). SÄPO investigated; no operator was identified. [source] |
| 2019-09-29 → 2019-09-30 | Palo Verde Generating Station | US | Overflight | 5 | Unattributed | A swarm of five or more drones flew over the largest US nuclear plant on two consecutive nights; documented in NRC records released under FOIA. [source] |
| 2014-10 → 2014-11-30 | 13 EDF nuclear power plants (incl. Cattenom, Gravelines, Bugey) | France | Overflight | — | Unattributed | Coordinated wave of unidentified drone overflights above at least 13 French nuclear plants over two months; operators and origin never identified. [source] |