Drone hits turbine building at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

A drone struck a structure at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, an incident that has drawn serious concern from international nuclear safety officials. The attack, which occurred on Saturday, reportedly damaged the turbine building of one of the plant's six units, creating a hole in its wall. Russian authorities, who have controlled the facility since the early weeks of the conflict in 2022, stated the strike was carried out by a fiber-optics-guided drone and accused Ukrainian forces of a deliberate attack. Ukrainian officials have denied involvement.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed it was informed of the incident, which it said endangered established principles for protecting the facility. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed serious concern, noting the attack violated the clear principle that there should be no attack from or against the plant. This marks the first reported strike within the plant's perimeter since April 2024.

According to the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which operates the plant, the drone hit the machine hall of the sixth power unit. The corporation's chief stated that the guidance technology...