Ukraine on Sunday rejected Russian claims that it carried out a drone strike on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhya nuclear power plant, as the two sides traded accusations following new attacks amid the ongoing war.This denial came after the International Atomic Energy Agency said that a drone struck the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, citing information from the operator of the facility installed by Russia. According to the operator, a drone hit the turbine building on Saturday, “causing a hole in its wall.”Russian forces seized Zaporizhya, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in the first weeks of the 2022 invasion, and remain near the front line in southern Ukraine.The Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom accused Ukraine of carrying out a deliberate attack. Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev said: “This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, causing it to explode.” He added that the station’s main equipment was not damaged.Kiev quickly denied the accusations, and the Ukrainian military called them “another propaganda trick.”
It said that it did not bomb the facility or target it, and stressed that it understands “the consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities” and adheres to international humanitarian law.“Along the relevant part of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used,” the army said.The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also denied the accusation, saying it lacked “logic.”“It is not clear why Ukraine would strike its nuclear power plant located on its territory, which it itself seeks to restore under its sovereign control,” the ministry said.IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed “deep concern” about the reported strike and reiterated the need to protect nuclear facilities during the conflict.“There should be no attack of any kind from or on the station,” Grossi said, adding that “attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire.”Ukraine’s state nuclear oversight agency said the reported damage should be independently verified by International Atomic Energy Agency experts stationed at the plant as part of the agency’s long-term monitoring mission.The Zaporizhia facility remained a focal point of concern throughout the war, with both Moscow and Kiev repeatedly accusing each other of launching attacks around the site, raising fears of a possible nuclear accident.The incident came as Ukraine and Russia reported new attacks overnight.Russian authorities said the drone debris sparked a fire at a fuel storage facility in the Rostov region, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents. Damage to civilian infrastructure was also reported in the Saratov region. The independent Russian newspaper Astra reported that an oil refinery in the regional capital caught fire, according to the Associated Press.Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 212 out of 299 drones launched by Russia overnight. She added that 14 drones reached their targets, while debris fell in five locations.Russian drone attacks also hit the city of Dnipro and an oil refinery in the Rivne region of Ukraine, sparking fires. Rivne region governor Oleksandr Koval said no casualties were reported at the refinery.
