The IAEA will hold an emergency meeting due to the attacks on the Zaporozhye NPP

The Governing Council of the United Nations Nuclear Safety Organization (IAEA) announced its intention to meet this week for an emergency meeting on the situation at the Zaporizhia NPP. The meeting was scheduled for Thursday at the request of Ukraine and Russia in connection with drone attacks on the station.

On April 7, the IAEA reported that as a result of a drone attack, the building of the sixth power unit of the NPP in Energodar, which has been under the control of the Russian military since March 2022, was damaged. At the same time, international experts did not name those responsible for the strikes.

The UN agency noted that the nuclear safety of the NPP was not affected, but in general the IAEA mission characterized the incident as a serious incident that poses a threat to the protective shell of the reactor.

“Rosatom” announced at the end of last week that the Zaporizhia NPP was subjected to an unprecedented series of attacks by Ukrainian drones, putting the safety of the plant under direct threat. The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine stressed that Kyiv was not involved in any armed provocations at the occupied nuclear plant.

In a confidential letter to member states dated April 9, the chairman of the Board of Governors of the IAEA reported that the day before, Ukraine and Russia asked him to convene an extraordinary meeting, reports Reuters.

On Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that the organization was informed about a new attack on a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The IAEA’s statement says that it received information about the shooting and the subsequent loud explosion. At the same time, the management of ZAES, appointed by the occupation authorities, notified about a drone strike on the roof of the station’s training center, located not far from it. The station administration put the blame on the Armed Forces. The IAEA noted that its team was not granted access to the site of the attack.

“Today’s incident, although outside the perimeter of the facility, is an ominous event, as it indicates an obvious readiness to continue attacks, despite the serious danger,” IAEA head Raphael Grossi said on April 9. He added that whoever was behind the attacks, these people are “playing with fire.”

• Zaporizhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Its territory is periodically subjected to shelling, in which Ukraine and Russia accuse each other. The Ukrainian authorities also stated that the Russian army used ZAES to store military equipment and deploy its servicemen.
• The station has not been generating electricity since September 11, 2022. One power unit is in hot shutdown mode to meet the station’s own needs, the other units are now in cold mode.