The IAEA will hold an emergency meeting due to attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

The Board of Governors of the UN Nuclear Safety Organization (IAEA) announced its intention to meet this week for an emergency meeting on the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The meeting was scheduled for Thursday at the request of Ukraine and Russia in connection with drone attacks on the station.

On April 7, the IAEA reported that as a result of a drone attack, the building of the sixth power unit of the Energodar nuclear power plant, which has been under the control of the Russian military since March 2022, was damaged. International experts did not name those responsible for the strikes.

The UN agency noted that the nuclear safety of the nuclear power plant was not affected, but in general the IAEA mission characterized the incident as a serious incident posing a danger to the reactor containment.

Rosatom announced at the end of last week that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was subjected to an unprecedented series of attacks by Ukrainian drones, putting the safety of the plant at direct risk. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine emphasized that Kyiv is not involved in any armed provocations at the occupied nuclear power plant.

In a confidential letter to member states dated April 9, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the IAEA said that a day earlier, Ukraine and Russia approached him with a request to convene an extraordinary meeting, reports Reuters.

On Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said the organization had been informed of a new attack on a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The IAEA said in a statement that there had been reports of gunfire and a subsequent loud explosion. At the same time, the leadership of the Zaporizhia NPP, appointed by the occupation authorities, notified about a drone strike on the roof of the station’s training center, located not far from it. The station administration placed the blame on the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The IAEA noted that its team was not given access to the attack site.

“Today’s incident, although outside the site’s perimeter, is an ominous development because it indicates a clear willingness to continue attacks despite serious danger,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on April 9. He added that whoever was behind the attacks were “playing with fire.”

• Zaporozhye NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Its territory is periodically subjected to shelling, for which Ukraine and Russia blame each other. Ukrainian authorities also stated that the Russian army used the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant to store military equipment and station its troops.
• The station has not generated electricity since September 11, 2022. One power unit is in hot shutdown mode to meet the station’s own needs, the remaining units are now in cold mode.