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A drone attack on an outer passage of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on Saturday (August 17) has deteriorated the safety of the plant, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
TASS previously reported that the Russian management of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant said a Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on a road used by staff.
Shortly after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia took control of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
The plant is currently shut down as Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of trying to disrupt the plant’s operations and jeopardize safety around the plant.
“Once again we are seeing an escalation in the nuclear safety risks facing nuclear power plants,” Grossi said.
“I remain extremely concerned and once again call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and strictly adhere to the five specific principles set out to protect the nuclear power plant.”
The IAEA said the impact site was near important cooling water fountains and about 100 meters from the Dniprovska power line, the only 750-kilovolt power line that provides electricity to the plant.
An International Atomic Energy Agency team visited the area on Saturday and reported that the damage appeared to have been caused by a drone equipped with explosives.
The report said no one was injured or killed in the accident and the nuclear power plant equipment was not affected. However, the road between the two main gates of the nuclear power plant was affected.
The attack comes as Ukraine continues its incursions into Russia, claiming to have taken control of 82 settlements across 1,150 square kilometers in the Kursk region since August 6.
Moscow wants to discuss the attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russian news agencies reported, citing Russia’s acting representative in Vienna, Roman Ustinov.
Read more by Euractiv
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