Drone Strike Escalates Safety Concerns at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Safety at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is deteriorating following a drone strike, according to IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi. The plant's control lies with Russia since their invasion in 2022. Both parties accuse each other of posing threats to nuclear safety, heightening international concerns.

Safety at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is deteriorating following a drone strike that hit a perimeter access road on Saturday, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Mariano Grossi.

The Russian management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive charge on a road used by staff, the TASS news agency reported earlier. Russia has been in control of the Zaporizhzhia site, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, since soon after it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The plant is dormant as Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of trying to sabotage its operations and endangering safety around the plant. "Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the power plant," Grossi said.

"I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides and for strict observance of the five concrete principles established for the protection of the plant." The impact site was close to the essential cooling water sprinkler ponds and about 100 metres from the Dniprovska power line, the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing a power supply to the plant, the IAEA said.

An IAEA team visited the area on Saturday and reported that the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload. The report said there were no casualties and no impact on any nuclear power plant equipment. However, there was impact to the road between the two main gates of the plant.

The attack comes as Ukraine continues an incursion into Russia, claiming to have taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometres (444 square miles) in the Kursk region since Aug. 6. Moscow wants to discuss the attack on the Zaporizhzhia plant with the IAEA, Russia's RIA news agency reported, citing Roman Ustinov, the acting Russian representative in Vienna.

(With inputs from agencies.)