BB.lv: Drone explosion damaged reactor shell at Zaporizhia NPP

A drone explosion on the territory of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) damaged the containment shell of the station’s main nuclear reactor for the first time since November 2022. This was announced on Sunday, April 7, by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, on the social network X. According to him, there were at least 3 hits in the reactor containment.

Grossi also noted that the incident was a “serious escalation of threats to nuclear safety” at the Zaporizhia NPP. “Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must be stopped immediately,” he said.

Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the attack on Zaporizhzhya NPP

After the explosion of a drone on the territory of the Zaporizhia NPP, the “management” of the station, appointed by the occupation authorities of the Russian Federation, blamed the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for the attack. In response, Andrei Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, blamed the incident on Russian troops, calling the drone strike a “simulation.”

The Russian military seized the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in early March 2022. The international community was alarmed as this facility was repeatedly shelled.

Grossi: Almost all safety protocols were violated at Zaporizhia NPP

In early March, the IAEA Director General said that six out of seven IAEA nuclear and physical safety protocols were fully or partially violated at the Russian military-controlled Zaporizhia NPP. On March 7, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution demanding the urgent withdrawal of the Russian military from the Zaporozhye NPP and its immediate return to the full control of the competent authorities of Ukraine. The Kremlin rejected the IAEA’s call, calling it “an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia.”

After coming under the control of the occupying authorities of the Russian Federation, the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant was de-energized eight times due to damage to power lines outside its territory. During blackouts, there is a threat to the preservation of nuclear fuel in reactors and cooling pools in a safe condition.