Russia has occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since early 2022
A new drone attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant has increased the risk of a “major nuclear accident,” the United Nations nuclear watchdog has warned.
Russia said Ukraine was behind the attack, which left three people injured. Ukraine denies involvement.
The huge Russian-owned nuclear power plant has six reactors and is at the forefront of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned against such attacks.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said Sunday's drone attack was “reckless” and “significantly increases the nuclear safety and security risks” faced by nuclear power plants.
The Zaporizhia factory in southern Ukraine is the largest in Europe. Russian forces captured the area shortly after launching a full-scale invasion in February 2022, and have occupied it ever since.
The IAEA, which has a team of experts in Zaporizhzhia, confirmed the “physical impact of the drone attack” on the plant, including one of its reactors.
Authorities at the Russian-run nuclear power plant said radiation levels were normal and there were no serious injuries.
The IAEA said the damage did not threaten nuclear safety, but warned that “this is a serious accident with the potential to jeopardize nuclear safety.'' [the] Nuclear reactor containment system integrity. ”
Grossi said there were “at least three direct hits” to the plant's “main reactor containment structure.”
“That can't happen,” he said. “It is inconceivable that anyone would benefit or derive any military or political advantage from an attack on a nuclear facility. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Both Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of shelling nuclear power plants and risking a major nuclear accident.
The Russian government at the plant claimed that the Ukrainian military was behind the attack, a claim that Ukraine denies.
“Ukraine is not involved in any armed provocations on the ground,” Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine's Central Intelligence Directorate, told the Ukraineska Pravda news website. It added that the factory was “illegally occupied by Russia.”
Yusov accused Russia of carrying out attacks on the nuclear power plants themselves, endangering nuclear facilities, civilians and the environment.
Last month, the IAEA announced that a team of experts at the plant heard explosions every day for a week.
At the time, Grossi said: “For more than two years, nuclear safety and security in Ukraine has been at constant risk. We continue to minimize the risk of a nuclear accident that could harm our people. “We are determined to do everything we can to contain it.” Not only in Ukraine, but also in the environment. ”
