Drone Strike Damages Monitoring Equipment at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency stated on May 4, 2026, that meteorological monitoring equipment at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was damaged by a drone. A team of IAEA experts visited the station's External Radiation Control Laboratory on May 4, 2026, observing damage to some of the lab's meteorological monitoring equipment, which is no longer operational.

The visit occurred a day after the plant's Russian management reported it had been hit by a drone.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued an appeal for maximum military restraint near all nuclear facilities to avoid safety risks. The plant's management stated on Sunday that damage from the drone strike was minor and operations were otherwise unaffected. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been struck several times by drones since the beginning of the conflict.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located in southeastern Ukraine and is Europe's largest with six reactors. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early weeks of Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is held by Russia.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant now produces no electricity. One of the Zaporizhzhia station's external power lines, required to keep nuclear fuel cool, has been down since late March 2026. The IAEA stated last week that it was trying to arrange a local ceasefire to carry out repair work on the power line.

The IAEA has placed observers permanently at Zaporizhzhia and Ukraine's three other functioning nuclear stations. com reported these details, including the IAEA's observations and Grossi's appeal. The events underscore ongoing risks at the site near the war's front line, where each side has accused the other of actions that could compromise safety.