The vehicle damaged by a drone at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant. Photo: IAEA
The two occupants of a nuclear watchdog vehicle in Ukraine have escaped injury after a drone attacked their car.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) vehicle was at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on Tuesday (local time) during a staff rotation.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi condemned the “unacceptable” attack on IAEA staff trying to prevent a nuclear accident during a war.
“As Director General of the IAEA, I condemn, in the firmest terms, this attack on IAEA staff,” Grossi said in a statement.
“Fortunately, there were no victims, and our teams are safe. The rotation has been completed.”
An IAEA driver and a security officer were in the armoured vehicle at the time of the attack. Both were unharmed but the rear of the vehicle was destroyed.
The driver of a second IAEA vehicle in a convoy heading towards the plant (Ukraine’s largest) saw the kamikaze drone fly in from behind and slam into the targeted vehicle.
The IAEA says the attack happened about 8km from the frontline, within Ukrainian controlled territory.
“I have said in the past that attacking a nuclear power plant is a no go,” Grossi said.
“Attacking those who care for the nuclear safety and security of these plants is also absolutely unacceptable.”
POWER PLANTS
The IAEA reports that Ukraine’s three operating nuclear power plants largely restored electricity production last week after they shut down due to new attacks on the country’s energy grid, Grossi said.
At the Khmelnytskyy plant, IAEA staff were forced to take shelter last Tuesday while at the South Ukraine plant, 17 drones were reportedly detected 3km from the plant.
The IAEA says Zaporizhzhya has not produced electricity for more than two years. Its six units are all in cold shutdown but still require off-site power for reactor cooling.
The agency has been ensuring nuclear safety at the site since September 1, 2022.
