Ukraine Accused of Drone Strike Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
Al Jazeera
Moscow accuses Ukraine of a drone attack near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, killing one and injuring 17. The IAEA confirms the incident but notes no nuclear safety damage, while calling for an immediate halt to such actions.
A drone strike near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-controlled southeastern Ukraine killed a nuclear expert and injured 17 people, according to reports from Russian authorities.
On April 16, Moscow said the drone was launched from Ukrainian territory. The safety of Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been a major global concern since the full-scale conflict Russia launched against Ukraine in February 2022.
Most of the injured in the attack were plant employees, according to an update on Telegram from the Russian-appointed management of the facility. Russian officials called it one of the most serious incidents in the plant's history.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier confirmed reports that the attack targeted staff at a bus stop. "No nuclear safety or security damage was reported," the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, said on social media.
However, the IAEA called on "those military commanders responsible for these actions as well as all others targeting nuclear power plants or their personnel to immediately cease these unacceptable actions," citing "a major risk to nuclear safety."
The Zaporizhzhia plant was seized by Russian forces one month after Moscow launched its military campaign. Since then, the facility has been under Russian control. The safety of the plant — and the potential consequences if it were attacked during the fighting — has been a concern since the war began.
Zaporizhzhia's six reactors can produce nearly 6 gigawatts of electricity, playing a critical role in supplying Ukraine's national grid. All reactors have been shut down since the Russian seizure, but an attack could cause damage and potentially lead to a serious radiation leak.
The strike came ahead of a planned visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to assess nuclear safety. It remains unclear whether the visit will still take place.
A few hours later, a Russian attack on a thermal power plant in central Ukraine forced the facility to halt operations, according to DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy supplier. No casualties were reported, but DTEK said on social media that the attack caused "significant damage to equipment."
Russia has struck DTEK's thermal power plants 230 times since the start of the war, according to the company's Telegram channel, in a campaign to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
