Photo: social media
Russia’s position. The day before, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was hit by a Ukrainian drone, according to Alexey Likhachev, head of the Rosatom corporation.
Likhachev said the strike hit the turbine hall building of Unit 6. The main equipment was not damaged, he said, but a hole was made in the wall of the turbine hall. No one was injured.
“The fact that the drone was guided via fiber optics is noteworthy. This completely rules out the version of an allegedly accidental hit. One can ‘congratulate,’ if that is the right word, the entire world community: this is the first deliberate attack on the main equipment of a nuclear power plant with a through explosion and damage to the turbine hall building,” the Rosatom chief said.
Yury Chernichuk, the Russian-appointed director of the Zaporizhzhia plant, said a turbogenerator is located in the station’s turbine hall. According to him, a strike on it could have caused the complete failure of the entire unit. He also claims the wall was pierced through.
Ukraine’s position. Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces said the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not strike the Zaporizhzhia plant. They stressed that Russia’s statements were “another information provocation.” The Ukrainian military also noted that the Kremlin had provided no evidence of the alleged attack.
“Messages circulated by occupation-linked resources about an alleged Ukrainian strike on Zaporizhzhia plant facilities are another attempt to discredit Ukraine and conceal their own criminal actions. <...> The pattern is familiar: after another setback at the front, a loud accusation against Ukraine appears, intended to divert the attention of the international audience,” the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine said.
IAEA’s position. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed serious concern over reports of a strike on the Zaporizhzhia plant. The IAEA team requested access to inspect the damaged turbine building.
Context. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was seized by Russian forces in March 2022. Since September of that year, a special IAEA mission has been operating at the plant, monitoring the situation on the site.
Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of strikes on the Zaporizhzhia plant. Last autumn, because of shelling, the station was without external power for about a month and operated on emergency generators. Later, the sides were able to agree on a local ceasefire.