Drone strike on Europe's largest nuclear power plant risks major incident warns UN

Officials at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power said none of the reactors had been damaged but warned such strikes could lead to a 'major accident'

A drone attack on Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine has been condemned as "reckless" and risks a "major accident," the head of the UN's atomic watchdog has warned.

In a statement on the social media platform X, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed at least three direct hits against the ZNPP main reactor containment structures took place and warned "this cannot happen."

In a further statement from Mr Grossi released by the IAEA, he said: "This is a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

"Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately."

Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack, but the IAEA didn’t attribute blame and Kyiv officials made no immediate comment.

Mr Grossi said it was the first such attack since November 2022, when he set out five basic principles to avoid a serious nuclear accident with radiological consequences.

Russian officials at the plant said the site was attacked on Sunday by Ukrainian military drones, including a strike on the dome of the plant’s sixth power unit.

According to the plant authorities, there was no critical damage or casualties and radiation levels at the plant were normal after the strikes.

Later on Sunday, Russian state-owned nuclear agency Rosatom said that three people were wounded in the “unprecedented series of drone attacks,” specifically when a drone hit an area close to the site’s canteen.

The IAEA confirmed the physical impact of drone attacks at the plant, including at one of its six reactors. One casualty was reported, it said.

"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," it added.

The power plant has been caught in the crossfire since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022 and seized the facility shortly after.

The IAEA has repeatedly expressed alarm about the nuclear power plant amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

Both Ukraine and Russia have regularly accused the other of attacking the plant, which is still close to the front lines.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.

Also on Sunday, five people were killed in Ukraine as a result of Russian shelling in areas near the frontline.

In Russia, a girl died and four other people were wounded when the debris of a downed Ukrainian drone fell on a car carrying a family of six people in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Russian authorities said.

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