IAEA Confirms 3 Direct Strikes on Containment Structures at Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plant

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Sept. 2, 2022. International Atomic Energy Agency/Handout via Reuters

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine has come under fresh attack from drone strikes, leading to the head of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog agency to again call on military brass from both sides to abstain from attacking nuclear facilities.

ZNPP, in southeastern Ukraine, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the largest in the world. Russian military forces captured it in 2022 following the full scale invasion of Ukraine and have remained in control of the plant ever since.

According to an April 7 press release from Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); this is the first time since November 2022 the plant has been directly targeted by a military action.

“This is a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” Director General Grossi said.

“Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately,” he added.

He also called it a clear violation of the basic principles for protecting the facility established by the U.N. Security Council in May last year, which is putting the whole region at risk. The principles prohibit attacks, acts of sabotage, or the storage of heavy weapons at the facility in the hopes of preventing a nuclear disaster.

3 Confirmed Strikes Against Facility

In a related post on X, Mr. Grossi revealed that at least three direct hits were made against the ZNPP main reactor’s containment structures, as confirmed by IAEA experts stationed at the site. At the moment, there are no indications of damage to critical nuclear safety or security systems at the site.

However, the IAEA team reported that one of the site’s six reactor buildings where surveillance and communication equipment was kept had been targeted.

They also claim to have seen Russian troops engage another approaching drone near the roof of reactor unit 6 and heard explosions, artillery fire, and shooting on the site throughout the day. At least one casualty has been reported by the IAEA team, who claim to have found blood at the site.

Mr. Grossi said his team on the ground had not observed any structural damage to systems, structures, and components important to the plant’s nuclear safety or security. At this time, there is no cause for major concern but Mr. Grossi says it could have been much worse.

“Although the damage at unit 6 has not compromised nuclear safety, this was a serious incident that had the potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor’s containment system,” he said.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), points on a map of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Vienna, Austria, on March 4, 2022. Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images

He warned that there is no benefit for anyone involved in attacking nuclear facilities, and as such, is calling on military brass from both sides to abstain from further attacks immediately.

“As I have repeatedly stated, including at the Security Council and the IAEA Board of Governors, no one can conceivably benefit or get any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities,” he said.

“Attacking a nuclear power plant is an absolute no go. I firmly appeal to military decision makers to abstain from any action violating the basic principles that protect nuclear facilities,” he added.

Russia’s Nuclear Power Corporation Accuses Ukraine of Strike

Russia’s nuclear power corporation, Rosatom, has laid the blame for the attack squarely at the feet of the Ukrainian military, accusing them of attacking the location in violation of the IAEA mandate.

In an April 7 statement on its website, Rosatom accused Ukraine’s military of launching an “unprecedented series of attacks” on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, injuring three staff, one seriously.

According to Rosatom, the strike hit the area adjacent to the canteen. Half an hour later, another drone attacked the cargo port area. The sixth power unit of ZNPP was also targeted but no serious damage was reported by Rosatom either.

“Fortunately, there were no critical damages or casualties, and the background radiation at the plant and the surrounding area has not changed and does not exceed natural background levels,” Rosatom said in their statement.

“Prior to this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the plant’s territory on April 5. Flights of the Ukrainian Armed Forces drones were detected in the area of the cargo port and the nitrogen-oxygen station.”

Rosatom says the IAEA leadership and governments of European Union (EU) countries need to immediately respond to the direct threat to ZNPP’s security and prevent any further attacks against the facility.

Both sides in the conflict have accused the other of attacking the plant and surrounding areas in the years since the war began.

Russian troops seized the plant during the first weeks of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It was annexed by Russia on Sept. 20, 2022, after a referendum. But that vote wasn’t considered legitimate by the international community, with the United Nations calling Russia’s moves an “illegal annexation.”