Drone Hits Turbine Building at Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
A drone hit a turbine building at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Saturday, creating a hole in the wall. The IAEA requested access to inspect the damage and warned that attacks on nuclear sites amount to playing with fire.
NewsweekA drone struck a turbine building at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Saturday, creating a hole in its wall. The International Atomic Energy Agency said its chief, Rafael Grossi, expressed serious concern after the reported incident. " If confirmed, the strike would be the first drone attack inside the perimeter of Europe's largest nuclear plant since April 2024.
Russian forces took control of the plant after seizing the town of Enerhodar in March 2022. Ukrainian operators continue to staff the facility, which sits near active fighting. The plant is not currently generating electricity but requires external power to maintain safety systems.
The plant has lost access to off-site power more than a dozen times since February 2022, including in mid-December. In March 2022 the IAEA outlined seven pillars for nuclear safety in Ukraine, including continuous access to off-site power. In May 2023 the agency added five concrete principles, the first of which prohibits attacks on or from the Zaporizhzhia plant.
Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting the facility. Ukrainian officials rejected the accusation as a propaganda ploy. The IAEA requested access to inspect the site.
Agency's experts were inspecting the site at the power plant, according to Russia's Tass state news agency. The warning comes as Ukraine marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, which killed at least 30 people immediately and exposed millions to radiation.
Transparency
9 core facts confirmed by 2+ independent outlets, though all from one ideological lane. 0 single-source, 1 disputed.
Corroborating outlets share one lane and are mostly lower-tier — treat as weakly verified.
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- Accounts differ on who was responsible for the drone strike at Zaporizhzhia.
- Reuters: Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting the Zaporizhzhia plant with a drone.
- livemint.com: Ukraine denied attacking the plant, accused Russia of nuclear terrorism and using the site for information provocations.
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