Drone hits captured nuclear plant in Ukraine: IAEA

AFP | Vienna

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A drone hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, the UN nuclear agency confirmed yesterday.

“The IAEA team at the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant) observed damage to the exterior of a turbine building which the plant said was hit by a drone strike yesterday,” the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency posted on social media.

“The team’s observations are consistent with the impact of a drone,” it added, noting that “radiation levels at the site remain normal”.

The plant lies close to the frontline in southern Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe with attacks.

Moscow’s troops captured the plant — Europe’s largest — in the first days of their 2022 invasion.

IAEA inspectors on Saturday had to shelter after hearing the sound of drones nearby and repelling gunfire, the agency said, adding that it had requested access to the inside of the building.

Russian media earlier carried a statement from stateowned nuclear power firm Rosatom accusing Ukraine of a deliberate attack — a claim strongly denied by Kyiv.

“There should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying in an X post by the agency late on Saturday.

“Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire.” Rosatom alleged the drone was controlled via a fibre-optic cable, which ruled out “the possibility of an accidental strike”.