Grossi demands that IAEA mission be allowed into ZNPP facility to verify information about damage
The International Atomic Energy Agency is urgently demanding that the Russians grant access to the machine room at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, where, according to the Russian side, a drone strike caused damage to the building—a hole was blown in the wall.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing a statement from the IAEA.
IAEA's Response
As noted, the Zaporizhzhya NPP administration informed the agency of a drone strike on the plant’s turbine building and a breach in the building’s wall. The IAEA mission requested access to the damaged facility but had not yet received it at the time of publication. Further details will be provided following an on-site inspection.
According to Grossi, if the information is confirmed, this will be the first attack within the station's perimeter since April 2024.
Grossi also stated that reports of such an incident are a cause for serious concern. He emphasized that, if confirmed, the attack would constitute a violation of the fundamental principles of nuclear safety established for situations of armed conflict, as well as the specific safety guidelines for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Grossi reiterated that one of the key principles is to prevent any attacks on the nuclear power plant or from its premises.
"Striking nuclear facilities is extremely dangerous and irresponsible," the IAEA Director General emphasized.
As reported, the Russian side accused Ukraine of allegedly striking the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. However, the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the Russian claim that Ukraine was involved.
A statement from the Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Meanwhile, the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine quickly debunked the false claims spread by Russian propaganda. Military officials emphasized that the narrative so desperately promoted by the Kremlin does not stand up to any factual scrutiny.
- The occupiers' claims about alleged attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on facilities at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are nothing more than an attempt to discredit Ukraine on the international stage and cover up their own criminal actions at the captured plant.
- Ukrainian military officials explained that the Armed Forces of Ukraine simply do not have fiber-optic-controlled drones with such a long range. Similarly, the Armed Forces do not possess drones equipped with a 5–6 kg high-explosive warhead—which is precisely the amount of explosives needed to create the kind of hole in structures that the Russian side is demonstrating.
Reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted Rosatom's false claim about an "attack" on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and stated that the Russians traditionally lack logic.
