Drone attacks convoy of international nuclear experts in Ukraine

A drone on Tuesday struck a vehicle in a convoy sent to pick up international experts from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. The attack did not kill or injure any passengers, but it did damage one vehicle. Even so, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the attack, calling it unacceptable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also condemned the attack, pointing his finger at Russia as the culprit.

What happened? The convoy was in Ukrainian territory and on its way to a meet-up point to pick up the UN nuclear experts who’d been stationed at the Zaporizhzhya plant for the past month. The replacement team of nuclear experts had already made its way safely to the handover point earlier that day, the agency said. One of the drivers in the convoy saw what the IAEA characterized as the kamikaze drone diving in for its attack and watched it hit the other vehicle in the convoy.

Are there any other updates on Ukraine? The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday said it was giving Ukraine a loan of $20 billion. The loan would be financed by a pool of sovereign Russian assets U.S. officials seized, the Treasury Department said. The money will assist Ukraine in defending itself and achieving a just peace, the department said.

Dig deeper: Read Antonio Graceffo’s report in World Tour about how Russia and Ukraine are bracing for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.