Deadly drone strike at largest European nuclear power plant as urgent warning issued

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has issued an urgent warning following a fatal incident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation reported that a driver lost their life in a drone attack allegedly carried out by Ukrainian Armed Forces, reports the Mirror . Rosatom corporation confirmed that a worker at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant died this morning.

The Russian body described the strike as a "great tragedy" and warned that assaults on the nuclear facility "pose a threat not only to people but also to security as a whole". Meanwhile, the IAEA's Director General stated today that attacks on or near nuclear power plants (NPPs) jeopardise nuclear safety and "must not take place".

The IAEA statement read: "IAEA has been informed by the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant that a drone strike this morning killed a driver at its transport workshop in the vicinity of the plant site."

"Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reiterates that strikes on or near NPPs can endanger nuclear safety and must not take place. The IAEA's team on the site will look into the incident and continue to monitor the situation."

In a separate statement, Russian agency Rosatom, which has operated the plant since its seizure by Russian forces, said: "A Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant employee has been killed in a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces Today, a driver was killed as a result of a strike by a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone on the premises of the transport workshop at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant."

Plant officials described the man's death as "a terrible and irreplaceable loss," stating that "employees of the nuclear industry must not be targeted."

They went on to say: "Any attacks on the Zaporizhzhia NPP pose a threat not only to people but also to security as a whole. It is a blow to life and to the future."

Russian forces took control of Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power station, on March 4, 2022. Speaking yesterday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine, the nation's UN Ambassador Andrii Melnyk demanded that Russian forces "finally get the hell out of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant".

Mr Melnyk stated that the Zaporizhzhia facility "remains under occupation to this very day as a hostage, terrorizing not only Ukraine but the entire international community."

Advocating for sanctions against Russia's nuclear energy sector, he continued: "This nuclear blackmail, this nuclear nightmare must end. Russia has to return the plant to Ukraine immediately and unconditionally and ensure its safety in accordance with IAEA standards."