Officials at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant said that Ukrainian military drones attacked the facility on Sunday, striking a number of targets, including the dome of the sixth power unit.
Moscow: A drone strike on one of the six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant “significantly increased the risk of a major nuclear accident,” stated the director of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency on Sunday. Rafael Mariano Grossi verified that there were at least three direct impacts against the main reactor containment structures of ZNPP in a statement posted on the social media platform X. “This is not possible,” he declared.
He claimed that since he outlined five fundamental guidelines in November 2022 to prevent a major nuclear disaster with radioactive fallout, this was the first attack of such nature.
Impact Of Drone Attack On Nuclear Facility
The IAEA confirmed the physical effects of drone assaults at the plant, including at one of its six reactors, in a separate statement. It stated that there was one casualty reported.
The agency went on to say, “While damage at unit 6 has not jeopardized nuclear safety, this is a serious incident that could jeopardize the integrity of the reactor’s containment system.”
Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant officials reported that Ukrainian military drones attacked the facility on Sunday, hitting the sixth power unit’s dome among other targets.
The plant’s administrators stated that following the attacks, radiation levels were normal and there had been no significant damage or casualties. But later on Sunday, the state-owned nuclear agency of Russia, Rosatom, announced that three persons had been injured in the “unprecedented series of drone attacks,” namely when a drone struck a location near the canteen on the site.
The drone strike was reported to the specialists at the International Atomic Energy Agency on Sunday, and the agency stated that “such detonation is consistent with IAEA observations.”
Safety Hazards Of These Attacks
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the UN’s atomic watchdog organization, spoke about the safety dangers of such attacks without assigning blame.
On the social media platform X, he posted, “I urge refraining from actions that contradict the 5 IAEA principles and jeopardize nuclear safety.”
The power plant has been a target of conflict since 2022, when Moscow dispatched troops into Ukraine and took control of the establishment shortly after. Amid concerns of a possible nuclear disaster, the IAEA has frequently voiced alarm over the nuclear power facility, which is the largest in Europe. The factory is still near the combat lines, and both Russia and Ukraine have consistently accused each other of assaulting it.
Even though the plant’s six reactors have been off for months, it still needs electricity and trained personnel to run critical safety measures like cooling systems.
Other Incidents Of Bombardment
Additionally, on Sunday, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said that three people had died when a Russian rocket struck their home in the front-line settlement of Huliaipole in the partially controlled southeast of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Two more people were hurt in another bombardment of Huliaipole later on Sunday.
In a different incident, Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor of Ukraine’s Kharkiv area, reported that three people had been injured by Russian bombardment.
