UN Watchdog Warns Safety Is ‘Deteriorating’ at Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant

The Zaporizhzhia plant has been controlled by Russia since early 2022.

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

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Aug.17 warned that the safety situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is “deteriorating” following a drone strike over the past weekend.

The plant has been controlled by Russia since the early days of the Ukraine war, in March 2022. Last week, both Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for a fire and alleged drone strike at the power plant, although the U.N. watchdog at the time said that there was “no impact reported.”