Sun 31 May 2026:

A drone hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-controlled southern Ukraine, the UN nuclear agency has said, citing local officials.

The International Atomic Energy Agency posted on social media that the Russian-run plant’s operator informed it that a drone had hit the turbine building on Saturday, “reportedly causing a hole in its wall”.

Russian media carried a statement from state-owned nuclear power firm Rosatom accusing Ukraine of a deliberate attack — a claim strongly denied by Kiev.

Close to the front line in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe with attacks since it was captured by Russia’s forces in 2022.

“There should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant”, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying in the agency’s X post late on Saturday. “Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire.”

Rosatom alleged the drone was controlled via a fibre-optic cable, which ruled out “the possibility of an accidental strike”.

“Today, we have come one step closer to an incident that is highly likely to affect even those who live far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine,” Rosatom CEO Alexei Likachev told Russian media.

Rejecting the accusations, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement that they lacked “logic”.

“It is unclear why Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant located on its own territory, which it itself seeks to regain under its sovereign control,” the ministry said.

“We consider these statements as yet another information operation by the occupying state.”

The strike blew a hole in the wall of the machine room but did not damage core equipment, Rosatom said.

Authorities in Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia in April accused Ukraine of carrying out a strike which they said killed a transport worker.

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Kyiv denies Russia’s claims

Ukraine has denied accusations by Moscow that it launched a drone strike on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, an alleged attack which Russia’s state nuclear corporation claimed left a hole in the facility’s turbine building.

A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement late Saturday slammed what is described as “baseless accusations,” saying Kyiv considers the claims “another information operation” aimed at distracting the international community’s attention from Russia’s control over the plant during the ongoing war.

“As always, the Russian accusations lack logic: it is not clear for what purpose Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant, located on its own territory, which it seeks to return to its sovereign control,” the statement said.

It went on to accuse Russia of refusing to provide “full and unhindered access” to all areas of the power plant for international experts.

“A state that does not allow international inspectors into certain areas of an occupied nuclear facility is now demanding that the world trust its own reports about events at the same facility,” it added.

Attacking nuclear sites is like ‘playing with fire’

Earlier Saturday, Alexey Likhachev, that head of Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, claimed that a Ukrainian combat drone struck the turbine building of Zaporizhzhia’s sixth power unit, causing a subsequent blast.

“The explosion did not damage key equipment, but it did blow a hole in the turbine hall wall. It’s noteworthy that the drone was controlled via fiber optics, completely ruling out the possibility of an accidental impact,” he said in a statement.

Likhachev warned that repeated attacks on nuclear facilities are bringing the region closer to a potentially serious nuclear incident.

“Today we are one step closer to an incident that could highly likely affect even those living far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine, who still believe they are completely safe,” Likhachev said.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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