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Agence France-Presse

The UN’s nuclear watchdog warned on Saturday that the safety situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was “deteriorating” following a nearby drone strike.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia accused Ukraine of dropping an explosive charge on a road near the occupied plant in southern Ukraine.
The plant, which was seized by Russia’s forces early in the war, has come under repeated attacks that both sides have accused each other of carrying out.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts on site were informed of the detonation near essential plant facilities on Saturday and immediately visited the area, the agency said in a statement.
They reported that the damage “seemed to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload,” affecting the road between the plant’s two main gates.

“Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” IAEA head Rafael Grossi said in the statement. “I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides,” he said.
The “nuclear safety situation” at the plant was “deteriorating,” the statement added. The IAEA team on site reported “intense” military activity over the past week in the area, including very close to the plant, it added.
“The team has heard frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant,” it said.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IAEA has repeatedly urged restraint, saying it fears reckless military action could trigger a major nuclear accident at the plant.
Kyiv and Moscow traded blame last weekend after a fire broke out at a cooling tower at the plant.
IAEA experts were able to visit the base of the cooling tower but have requested further access to assess the situation, according to the Vienna-based IAEA.
The fire resulted in “considerable damage”, but there was no immediate threat to nuclear safety, the agency said.


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Ukraine war

Safety deteriorating at Ukraine nuclear plant after nearby drone strike, UN watchdog says

A fire is seen at a cooling tower at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Energodar, Southern Ukraine, in footage released on August 11. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AFP

A Ukrainian Vampire drone with attached mortar shells is seen in the air near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region in February. Photo: Reuters

Zelensky says Ukraine ‘strengthening’ positions in Russia’s Kursk

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. Photo: DPA

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Defence Ministry Press Office, a strategically important bridge over the river Seym is destroyed by Ukrainian troops as they continue their incursion into the Kursk region, Russia, on August 16, 2024. The bridge was used by the Kremlin to supply its troops, and its destruction could hamper their efforts. Photo: AP

A Ukrainian serviceman patrols the town of Sudzha, Kursk region, in the territory controlled by Ukraine, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war: as Russian troops close in, Kyiv urges civilians to evacuate Pokrovsk

Women with children walk to board an evacuation train in Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, on August 2, amid the Russian advances in that area. Photo: AFP

Civilians, evacuated from the Kursk Region border, receive humanitarian aid as they arrive in downtown Kursk, Russia, on August 16. Photo: EPA-EFE

Ukrainian servicemen fire artillery toward Russian positions, in an undisclosed area, in the Pokrovsk district, in the eastern Donetsk region, on August 8. Photo: AFP

Kursk incursion: Ukraine sets up military office in Russian town of Sudzha

Buildings on fire are seen in the Russian town of Sudzha on August 7. Photo: MIC Izvestia/IZ.RU via Reuters

Destroyed buildings are seen in the Russian town of Sudzha on August 7 after an incursion of Ukrainian troops into the Kursk region. Photo: MIC Izvestia/IZ.RU via Reuters

A Russian T-72 battle tank drives outside the town of Sudzha on August 8. Photo: TNS

The gas pumping station at Sudzha, Russia, is seen in January 2009. Photo: AP

News

World

Russia & Central Asia

The Zaporizhzhia site, seized by Russia’s forces early in the war, has come under repeated attacks that both sides have blamed the other for


The Zaporizhzhia site, seized by Russia’s forces early in the war, has come under repeated attacks that both sides have blamed the other for.
