The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported a drone blast within the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant premises. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia has once more risked the safety of a nuclear site.
“Ukraine is not involved in any armed provocations on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant illegally occupied by Russia. The aggressor state once again endangers a nuclear facility, civilian population, and the environment of the entire Europe. Russian strikes, including simulated ones, on the territory of the Ukrainian nuclear station, as well as the deployment of troops and armaments there, mining of Zaporizhzhia NPP facilities have long been a known and constant criminal practice of the occupiers,” Andrii Yusov, representative of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
Fortunately, the damage at the station from the drone strike did not jeopardize nuclear safety, added the IAEA.
Russia must withdraw its troops from all nuclear power plant facilities. “Only this will allow the restoration of compliance with all necessary international norms and control over the important object of nuclear energy,” emphasized Ukrainian intelligence.
Meanwhile, the United States urged Russia “not to play dangerous games” at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The State Department is monitoring the situation at the station and has seen the IAEA’s official report.
“Russia is playing a very dangerous game with its military seizure of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant, which is the largest in Europe. It’s dangerous that they’ve done that and we continue to call on Russia to withdraw its military and civilian personnel from the plant, to return full control of the plant to the competent Ukrainian authorities, and refrain from taking any actions that could result in a nuclear incident at the plant,” said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Cover: open sources
