A vehicle belonging to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was severely damaged in a drone attack on the road to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant on Tuesday, IAEA head Rafael Grossi said.
The IAEA has experts stationed permanently at the Russian-occupied power plant, which is close to the front line, to monitor the situation.
The teams are regularly replaced. The drone attack occurred during the latest rotation.
“As director general of the IAEA, I condemn in the most firm terms this attack on the IAEA staff,” Grossi said in a video statement posted on X.
“Attacking a nuclear power plant is a no-go. Attacking those who care for the nuclear safety and security of these plants is even more unacceptable,” Grossi added, calling for “utmost restraint.”
Russia launched a series of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure at the end of November. The IAEA warned that this jeopardized the security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, whose cooling systems depend on a reliable power supply.
The IAEA board of governors plans to hold an exceptional meeting on Thursday.
A police officer carries a woman rescued from a building destroyed by a Russian missile strike. Three people are dead and at least 14 people are injured. -/Ukrinform/dpa
