Russia has reported a drone strike on the turbine building of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, prompting warnings from Moscow and urgent expressions of concern from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Incident at Zaporizhzhia
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. On May 30, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev reported that a Ukrainian combat drone struck the turbine building of the plant’s sixth power unit, causing a wall breach but no damage to primary equipment.
Dmitry Medvedev commented on the situation, stating that any damage to the turbine or reactor hall would risk creating a new Chernobyl incident.
Ukraine Dismisses Allegations as Fabricated
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the nation’s Defense Forces have rejected Russia’s claims as baseless. The ministry questioned the logic of Ukraine attacking its own sovereign infrastructure and noted that Russia continues to deny international inspectors full access to the facility.
According to Ukrainian officials, these accusations are timed to precede upcoming IAEA Board of Governors meetings, where Moscow’s lack of legitimate control over the site remains a significant political challenge.
IAEA Expresses Serious Concern
The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed receiving reports of the incident and expressed serious concern, with Director General Rafael Grossi warning that attacking nuclear facilities is “playing with fire.” The agency has requested access to inspect the turbine building.
The IAEA reported a sharp increase in drone activity near Ukrainian nuclear sites, recording over 160 unmanned aerial vehicles flying near the South Ukraine, Chernobyl, and Rivne power plants between May 13 and 14.