International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) technicians confirmed this Sunday "damage to the exterior of a turbine building" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, under Russian control although located in Ukrainian territory, and indicated that the impact "fits" with a drone attack.
"The team's observations fit the impact of a drone," the IAEA said in a statement, after the plant's management reported a suspected Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday.
The experts described damage to a high-altitude metal hatch, as well as debris and burnt fiber optic cable on the ground in the affected area.
The IAEA team requested permission to enter the damaged building, which is located next to reactor 6 of the plant. While accessing the site, specialists had to seek shelter upon hearing what appeared to be drone noises and gunfire directed at these devices, "but they were able to confirm with their measuring equipment that radiation levels at the site remain normal."
That same Sunday, the administration of the Zaporizhzhia plant denounced another Ukrainian attack, this time against the complex's displacement center, which reportedly caused the destruction of eight vehicles used by plant personnel, considered the largest in Europe.
"Six buses and two GAZelle vans have been destroyed as a result of today's attack. There are no injuries among the personnel," the plant indicated through its social media account.
The Russian side warns that these types of actions "generate additional risks for the stable operation of the nuclear power plant, hinder its normal functioning, and pose a threat to the safety of workers."
Despite these incidents, plant authorities insist that the facility continues to operate normally. "The operational safety of the plant is fully guaranteed and all process parameters are constantly monitored by personnel," they stressed.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had already warned on Saturday that the incident compromises the seven "indispensable pillars" for nuclear safety in the context of the conflict, as well as the five "concrete principles" established for the specific protection of the Zaporizhzhia plant. "There must be no attack of any kind, either from or against" the facility, Grossi recalled.
"Attacking nuclear facilities is like playing with fire," stressed the head of the agency, who explained that the IAEA team stationed in Zaporizhzhia has requested access to inspect "first-hand" the affected turbine building. "This would be the first drone attack within the plant's perimeter since April 2024," he noted.