IAEA calls for end to attacks on town near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for an immediate cessation of attacks on the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, a town near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, following drone strikes this week that targeted two electricity substations in the area.

Noting the increase in drone attacks on the plant and its surroundings, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said these attacks were completely unacceptable and must stop. 

"Whoever is behind this, it must stop. Drone usage against the plant and its vicinity is becoming increasingly more frequent," Grossi said in a statement on the IAEA website. "This is completely unacceptable and it runs counter to the safety pillars and concrete principles which have been accepted unanimously."

However, Grossi did not mention Ukraine in his statement and confirmed that the incidents did not directly impact the operation of the power plant. He noted that although power to Enerhodar was cut for 16 hours, the attacks did not affect the power lines critical for the plant's operation.

Despite disruptions to some "infrastructure facilities," including the transport department and print shop, the nuclear safety measures at the plant remained fully operational, according to the plant's Russian management.

The plant's Russian-installed officials accused Ukraine of carrying out the drone strikes, which reportedly destroyed one substation, damaged another and temporarily cut power to residents. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the attacks, accusing Ukraine of disregarding nuclear safety.

So far, Ukrainian officials have not commented on the incidents.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, captured by the Russian military in the early days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, has been a point of contention, with the two sides regularly accusing each other of compromising the facility's safety. Currently, the plant is not producing electricity.

The IAEA maintains inspectors at the Zaporizhzhia plant to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, Russia's military operations on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which began during the first winter of the conflict, resumed in March, severely impacting Ukraine's energy-generating capacity.

(With input from Reuters)