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April 7 (UPI) -- Ukraine's Russia-occupied nuclear power plant was attacked by drones Sunday in an incident the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said endangered nuclear safety and security. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, has been occupied by Russian forces since early in the war and has repeatledy come under direct attack though Sunday's strike represents the first since November 2022.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency has voiced concerns about the facility amid the war and on Sunday, its head, Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, described the Sunday attack as "a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers" at the site.
"Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately," he said in a statement.
The IAEA said it confirmed physical impact of the drone detonations, including at one of the site's six reactor buildings, though there are no indications of damage to critical nuclear safety or security systems.
Grossi said that although the damage sustained by unite six did not compromise nuclear safety, "this was a serious incident that had the potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor's containment system."
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the drone strike, which its Rosatom state energy corporation described in a statement as "unprecedented."
It said the first drone struck at about 11:38 a.m. local time in the vicinity of the facility's cafeteria, injuring three people. It said at least two other attacks were recorded, including on the hit the plant's dome.
Rosatom said it urges the IAEA and the European union to "promptly address the immediate threat to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP."
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack. Andriy Yusov, a Defense intelligence of Ukraine spokesman, told local Ukrayinska Pravda that "Ukraine is not involved in any armed provocations on the territory of the illegally occupied Russian ZNPP."
