IAEA confirms 3 direct strikes on main reactor containment structures of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the main reactor containment structures of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had suffered at least three direct strikes, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on April 7.
This was the first such confirmed strike since November 2022 and since he laid out five basic principles for avoiding a serious nuclear accident, Grossi said on X.
"No one can conceivably benefit or get any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities. This is a no go," Grossi added.
The IAEA stated on X that drone strikes had caused physical impact at one of the plant's six reactors and one casualty. "Damage at unit 6 has not compromised nuclear safety, but this is a serious incident with potential to undermine integrity of the reactor’s containment system," the IAEA wrote.
Earlier in the day, the power plant informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that a drone detonated on its site, according to the IAEA. The IAEA did not specify who had launched the drone.
In a statement provided to Ukrainska Pravda, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence agency said Ukraine was not involved in the explosion of the drone at the power plant on April 7.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. IAEA teams have been based at the facility on rotation since September 2022.
Read also: IAEA: Drone detonated at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
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