Ukraine war: UN body urges restraint after Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant hit

THE United Nations atomic watchdog has warned of a new drone attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant, which has raised the risk of a major nuclear accident.

Russia said Ukraine was behind the attack, which it said injured three people, while Ukraine denied any involvement.

The giant Russian- held nuclear plant, with six reactors, is on the frontline of the Russia- Ukraine conflict.

The UN’S International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) has repeatedly warned against such attacks.

IAEA head, Rafael Grossi said the drone strike was reckless and a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the plant.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, in southern Ukraine, is the largest in Europe. Russian forces seized it shortly after launching their February 2022 fullscale invasion and have occupied it ever since, alongside most of the Zaporizhzhia region.

The facility stopped generating power in 2022, but needs a constant supply of electricity to cool one of its reactors which is in a state of hot conservation, meaning it is not fully offline.

The IAEA, which has a team of experts at Zaporizhzhia, confirmed physical impact of drone attacks at the plant, including at one of the reactors.

The plant’s Russian- installed administration said radiation levels were normal and that there was no serious damage.

The IAEA said the damage had not compromised nuclear safety, but it warned that it’s a serious incident with potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor’s containment system.

Grossi specified there had been at least three direct hits against the plant’s main reactor containment structures.

“This cannot happen, no one can conceivably benefit or get any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities,” he said.

Both Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of shelling the plant and risking a serious nuclear accident.

The plant’s Russian administration has said Ukraine’s armed forces were behind the attack, but Ukraine has denied the allegation.

Yesterday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the attacks were a very dangerous provocation. Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate spokesman, Andriy Yusov told the Ukrainska Pravda news website that Ukraine was not involved in any armed provocations on the site.

“The plant is illegally occupied by Russia,” he added.