Drone strike hits Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant again, IAEA denied in site access – Grossi

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported an attack by a drone on a training center at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) site. This is the third attack on the training center in the last two weeks. On 7 April, the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency reported that drone attacks had damaged the structures of one of the plant's six reactors. The Russian side claims that Ukrainian drones attacked the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense denies Kyiv's involvement in the attack on the plant. UN Council also said Russia is responsible for the attack. British military analysts, commissioned by the international organization Greenpeace Germany, reported that the Russian government's claims of alleged Ukrainian drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant show signs of being staged by Russia. The report said that the UAVs were likely launched near the Zaporizhzhia NPP and, therefore, with a 55-75% probability, could have come from Russian-occupied territory. According to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, the third attack occurred on 18 April but did not result in any damage or casualties. Representatives of the Zaporizhzhia NPP informed the IAEA team present at the site that a drone was neutralized. However, they did not provide any other details. "The IAEA team was denied access to assess the incident at the training center outside the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia NPP site, as the station cited potential safety risks," the organization reported. This week, a new IAEA expert team reportedly arrived at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, replacing their colleagues who had been monitoring the situation at the nuclear power plant for the past few weeks. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Russian troops occupied the city of Energodar and the nearby Zaporizhzhia NPP in early March 2022. In September 2023, the president of Energoatom reported that 822 Ukrainian nuclear workers remain working at the plant. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russian occupying forces of abducting and torturing plant personnel. The territory of the plant is periodically shelled, with Ukraine and Russia accusing each other. The Ukrainian authorities have also stated that the Russian army has been using the Zaporizhzhia NPP to store military equipment and deploy its servicemen. Read also:

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