A senior Ukrainian government official has denied Russia’s claims that its forces fired a drone explosion at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which Kremlin forces have occupied and operated in southern Ukraine since the start of the war more than two years ago. .
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence service, said the Russian military routinely fabricated attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and suggested there had been no attack. However, the attack was confirmed by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, which said neither side was responsible for the attack.
The plant has been repeatedly caught in the crossfire since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and captured the facility shortly thereafter. The International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations agency, has frequently expressed alarm about the facility amid concerns about the potential for nuclear holocaust.
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The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but they still require power and qualified staff to operate critical cooling systems and other safety features.
The United Nations nuclear power watchdog confirmed on Sunday that a drone struck one of the plant’s six reactors, killing one person.
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, is visible in the background of the shallow Kakhovka reservoir after a dam collapse in Energodar, Russian-occupied Ukraine, June 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos, File)
The IAEA team said it observed no structural damage to “systems, structures or components” critical to nuclear safety at the plant. They reported that there was surface charring on the top of the reactor dome.
The IAEA said on X (formerly Twitter) that the damage “does not jeopardize nuclear safety, but is a serious incident that could compromise the integrity of the reactor’s containment system.”
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IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the main structure of the reactor containment vessel received at least three direct hits. “That can’t happen,” he told X.
Zaporizhia is one of four regions illegally annexed by Russia in September 2022.
The Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Russian authorities “used Russia’s physical control over the (factory) to justify Russia’s occupation to international organizations, including the IAEA.” “We are trying to force them to meet with us,” he said. (The factory) and by extension Russia’s occupation of sovereign Ukrainian land. ”
