IAEA chief voices concern over reported drone strike at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
Vienna, May 31
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi expressed serious concern over a reported drone strike on a turbine building at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, warning that attacks on nuclear facilities are "like playing with fire."
The IAEA said it had been informed by the ZNPP that a drone struck a turbine building at the facility earlier in the day, reportedly causing a hole in one of the building's walls. The agency disclosed the incident in a post on social media platform X.
"There should be no attacks of any kind from or against a nuclear facility," Grossi said, reiterating his call for restraint to avoid jeopardizing nuclear safety and security.
He added that the IAEA team stationed at the plant had requested access to the affected turbine building to conduct a first-hand assessment of the reported damage, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the IAEA, the incident would mark the first drone attack within the perimeter of the ZNPP since April 2024.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, one of Europe's largest nuclear power facilities, has been under Russian control since March 2022. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the IAEA has repeatedly warned of the risks posed by military activities around the site and called for the protection of nuclear infrastructure.
Russia's Rosatom said on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone had struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, but no damage to key equipment was reported.
The Ukrainian drone struck the turbine island of Unit 6 of the power plant and exploded earlier on Saturday. The International Atomic Energy Agency has since been notified of the attack.
"Such strikes on nuclear facilities are extremely irresponsible and pose grave threats to nuclear security. Any attack on a nuclear plant's infrastructure may trigger unpredictable consequences and endanger regional safety," the plant stated on its social media account, adding that there were no casualties or serious damage.
Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said this was the first targeted strike against a nuclear plant's key equipment that caused a blast and inflicted damage on the turbine island structure.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone living in a country where we also deal with nuclear neighbours, this is terrifying. Any attack on nuclear infrastructure could cause a Chernobyl-scale disaster affecting millions. Sending prayers for the safety of all involved. 🙏
Why is the international community silent when Russia controls this plant? It's convenient to blame Ukraine, but let's not forget who's occupying a European nuclear facility. This is a mess of occupation and brinkmanship.
No matter who is responsible, attacking any nuclear facility is insane. Forget politics - think about children, agriculture, future generations. Someone needs to grow up and stop this madness.
Grossi is right - this is like playing with fire. But where is the UN Security Council? Where is India's voice in this? As a responsible nuclear power, we should be calling for an immediate demilitarized zone around ZNPP.
Appreciate the balanced reporting. It's troubling that IAEA access is being restricted - if nothing to hide, why deny? The world needs transparency here, not blame games.
Even after Chernobyl and Fukushima, we haven't learned. Nuclear energy is clean but not safe under fire. This war has to stop before we all pay the price. Be
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