Ukraine drones hit Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, claims Russia

Russia on Sunday said that a Ukraine drone attack hit the Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) urged restraint.

A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol(REUTERS)

The Zaporizhzhia atomic plant, Europe’s largest, has been occupied by Russian forces since the start of their 2022 Ukraine offensive.

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“The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the dome of the sixth power unit of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” the Moscow-controlled management of the plant said on social media.

It said there was no radioactive release as a result of the attack.

The (IAEA) said it was told by the Russian-installed management that a “drone detonated on site today.”

“I urge to refrain from actions that contradict the five IAEA principles and jeopardise nuclear safety,” the UN agency’s director Rafael Grossi said.

Russia’s nuclear agency ROSATOM urged the West and Grossi to “categorically condemn the attempt to escalate the situation around the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe.”

It said the drone hit the plant’s canteen, wounding three staff members, one of them “severely.”

“Luckily, there is no critical damage or casualties and the radiation level at the station and territory around it has not changed,” the agency said.

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