IAEA Probes Suspected Drone Attack Near Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating reports of a suspected drone attack near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian control.

According to the IAEA on Tuesday, the plant’s operators reported that six drones were involved in an incident that occurred last Friday, damaging vehicles near the facility. The explosion took place around 600 metres from the nearest reactor, outside the perimeter of the plant.

The Vienna-based agency said its team stationed at Zaporizhzhya was shown a truck reportedly struck by a drone, but they could not verify any physical damage or find drone debris. However, they observed burnt grass and scorched vegetation at the scene.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the incident, warning that if the drone attack is confirmed, it would mark a “completely unacceptable” act near a major nuclear facility.

“Whoever is behind such attacks is playing with fire. It must stop immediately,” Grossi stated. He further raised concerns over the increasing number of drones flying dangerously close to Ukraine’s nuclear sites.

Grossi recalled a February incident in which a drone strike caused significant damage to a containment structure at the Chernobyl nuclear plant—originally built to seal the radioactive remains of reactor unit 4, which exploded in the 1986 disaster. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of orchestrating that attack, though Moscow denied any involvement. No rise in radiation levels was reported at the time.

Zaporizhzhya, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has remained inactive since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. Russian forces seized control of the plant in March 2022. Since then, the IAEA has maintained a continuous presence at the site and routinely dispatches expert teams to other Ukrainian plants in Rivne and Khmelnytskyi to monitor safety.