The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine has once again found itself in a threatening situation following a drone attack on the evening of 7 April 2024. The plant was attacked with three smaller drones. Three people were injured, an analysis laboratory was damaged and an explosion was reported above the roof of a reactor building, which fortunately caused no further damage. The last direct attack on a power plant building was in November 2022.
The IAEA categorised the incident as a serious breach of nuclear safety principles that could have compromised the safety barriers of the nuclear power plant, even if no nuclear or radiological safety systems and functions were affected. The warring parties accused each other of being responsible for the attacks. The IAEA Secretary General once again called on the warring parties to refrain from any actions that could compromise the safety of nuclear facilities.
KernD comment: The renewed attack is to be condemned in the strongest possible terms, even if the nuclear and radiological safety of the region is not acutely threatened, as far as the latter can be assessed from here. However, an extremely unsatisfactory latent situation remains due to the risk potential, which is unacceptable.
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