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The nuclear security situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine is deteriorating, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said, following a drone strike near the site's perimeter.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he remained “deeply concerned” and called for “maximum restraint by all parties” to protect the plant.
The agency said the impact was on a road just outside the facility – near the main water spray ponds and about 100 metres from the only remaining high-voltage line.
The factory was captured by Russian forces at the beginning of the war and was subjected to repeated attacks, for which each side blamed the other.
Last week, Kyiv and Moscow The two sides traded blame after a fire broke out in one of the station's cooling towers.
The agency did not say who carried out Saturday's strike, but its team based in Zaporizhia said the damage to the station appeared to have been caused by a drone carrying explosives.
“The team heard repeated explosions and frequent gunfire from heavy machine guns, rifles and artillery at various distances from the factory,” the agency said in a statement.
The plant has not produced any power for more than two years, and all six reactors have been shut down since April.
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor, and has recently made slow progress in seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine.
But it was shocked when Ukrainian forces pushed into the Kursk region where they had been consolidating their positions for nearly two weeks.
Thousands of Russians were evacuated from the area.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Sunday that his forces had destroyed a second bridge in the Kursk region, “depriving the enemy of its logistical capabilities.”
Earlier this week, Ukraine destroyed a bridge over the Seim River that the Kremlin had been using to supply its forces.
This is the first time foreign troops have been on Russian soil since World War II.
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