The International Atomic Energy Agency says Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) came under drone strikes for the second time within two days.
For the first time since November 2022, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was directly targeted Sunday, prompting warning by the UN nuclear watchdog that it has raised the risk of a “major nuclear accident.”
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency’s team of experts stationed at the Russian-occupied plant reported hearing bursts of rifle fire followed by a loud explosion at 11:05 am local time Tuesday.
At the same time, an incoming drone had detonated on the roof of the plant’s training center.
It marks an ominous development and a major worsening of safety and security, the IAEA chief said.
The incident did not pose any threat to nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, but there are ZNPP staff routinely present there. The IAEA team requested immediate access to the building to assess the possible impact but the Russian military, which controls the plant, did not allow it.
“Today’s reported incident – although outside the site perimeter – is an ominous development as it indicates an apparent readiness to continue these attacks, despite the grave dangers they pose to nuclear safety and security and our repeated calls for military restraint”, said Grossi.
“Whoever is behind them, they are playing with fire. Attacking a nuclear power plant is extremely irresponsible and dangerous, and it must stop,” he added.
It is not clear who carried out the attack.
Russia had blamed Ukraine for Sunday’s attacks on the Zaporizhzhya plant, but Ukraine denied it.
The incident adds to the deepening concern over the already highly precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the massive nuclear power plant, which has been shelled several times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The nuclear power plant lost all off-site power eight times since then, according to IAEA.
Its all six reactors have been shut down for the past 20 months.
Copyright © 2024, RTTNews.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
