The International Atomic Energy Agency said its team was aware of an explosion at a training center next to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The Zaporizhzhia facility is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine in recent months has been able to make significant advances along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line crossing eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have frequently traded accusations over the Zaporizhzhia plant.
Energoatom noted that Russia has deployed troops and landmines at the site, which is one of four atomic power plants in Ukraine.
“The dangerous game of the (Russian) occupiers at the (Zaporizhzhia) nuclear facility must be stopped,” it said.
But the watchdog has repeatedly expressed alarm about the plant amid fears of a nuclear catastrophe.
Russian forces recently renewed their efforts to pound the Ukrainian power grid, using improved intelligence and tactics, Ukraine says.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion at the largest nuclear plant in Europe, the result of an alleged drone attack, on Tuesday highlighted the “extremely serious situation” at the facility, which has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire of the war, but did not directly threaten its safety. N. ‘s nuclear oversight organization stated.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant’s nearby training center experienced an explosion, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s team. It stated that it was informed the explosion was caused by a drone attack, but it provided no other information.
Russians, who have owned and operated the plant since the beginning of the war, are most likely the source of the agency’s information.
One of the top ten largest nuclear power plants in the world is the Zaporizhzhia complex. Its location in the southern part of Ukraine has been the scene of fighting that has sparked fears of a nuclear accident similar to the one that occurred at Chernobyl in 1986, when a reactor exploded and deadly radiation was released over a large area.
Along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line that splits eastern and southern Ukraine, neither Russia nor Ukraine have been able to make any major progress in recent months. In this increasingly attrition-based war, drones, artillery, and missiles have all played major roles.
Concerning the Zaporizhzhia plant, Russia and Ukraine have publicly traded accusations. On Monday, Moscow claimed that Ukraine was responsible for the drone strikes on the facility the day before, while Kyiv charged Moscow with using deceptive tactics.
As Russian troops engaged what appeared to be an approaching drone, the IAEA reported on Sunday that its inspectors had verified “the physical impact of drone detonations.”. “.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the operator of a nuclear plant in Ukraine, Energoatom, denounced the most recent accusations made by Russia. It charged Moscow with disseminating propaganda and “false statements” in an effort to sway public opinion against Ukraine.
Russia has placed troops and landmines at the location, which is one of Ukraine’s four atomic power plants, according to Energoatom. Three more are still in Ukrainian hands.
It stated that “the dangerous game of the (Russian) occupiers at the (Nucleus) facility in Zaporizhzhia must be stopped.”.
The IAEA stated that the facility, which is built to withstand a commercial airliner colliding with it, was unaffected by the most recent strikes. However, the watchdog has voiced concerns about the plant on multiple occasions due to worries about a nuclear meltdown.
The plant still requires electricity and trained personnel to run critical cooling systems and other safety features, even though its six reactors have been out of commission for months.
The head of the Energy Industry Research Center in Kyiv, Oleksandr Kharchenko, stated that it was absurd for Ukrainian forces to attack the Zaporizhzhia plant since the nation would require the energy it generates.
Ukraine claims that, utilizing more sophisticated intelligence and strategies, Russian forces have recently stepped up their efforts to bombard the country’s electrical grid.
“Saving the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station is the main priority for the Ukrainian side at this time, especially given the current circumstances, as this station is a crucial game-changer for our energy systems,” Kharchenko stated.
A nuclear disaster would force about 300,000 people to evacuate, according to Ukrainian emergency services.
Additionally on Tuesday, the Ukrainian intelligence agency declared that it had used a drone to attack an aviation training center in southwest Russia and that a fire aboard a Russian navy corvette on the Baltic coast was “not accidental.”. “.
The statements could not be independently confirmed or validated. Russia remained silent about them.
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