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Ukraine denied Russia’s claim that Kyiv launched a drone strike on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, calling the accusation baseless and part of an information operation.
In a statement late Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow’s accusations were aimed at distracting international attention from Russia’s control over the facility during the war.
“As always, the Russian accusations lack logic: it is not clear for what purpose Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant, located on its own territory, which it seeks to return to its sovereign control,” the ministry said.
Ukraine accused Russia of refusing to provide full and unhindered access to all areas of the plant for international experts.
“A state that does not allow international inspectors into certain areas of an occupied nuclear facility is now demanding that the world trust its own reports about events at the same facility,” the ministry said.
Ukraine also called on members of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to respond to Russia’s actions “not only in statements, but also in decisions.”
Kyiv urged members not to support granting Russia a seat at the IAEA body during their June session.
Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces also denied Russia’s claim, describing it as another “information provocation.”
The command said there were no active hostilities in the relevant part of the front line and added that Ukrainian forces act within international humanitarian law.
Earlier Saturday, Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev claimed that a Ukrainian combat drone struck the turbine building of Zaporizhzhia’s sixth power unit, causing a blast.
“The explosion did not damage key equipment, but it did blow a hole in the turbine hall wall,” Likhachev said.
He said the drone was controlled by fiber optics, which he claimed ruled out an accidental impact.
Likhachev warned that repeated attacks on nuclear facilities were bringing the region closer to a serious nuclear incident.
“Today we are one step closer to an incident that could highly likely affect even those living far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency had been informed by the plant that a drone struck a turbine building at the site.
“Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire,” Grossi said, according to an IAEA statement on X.
The IAEA said its team at the Zaporizhzhia plant had requested access to examine the affected turbine building first-hand.
The agency said it would be the first drone attack inside the plant’s site perimeter since April 2024.
The IAEA said it would update information after its team obtained access to the incident site.
Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and one of the world’s 10 largest, has remained under Russian control since March 2022.
IAEA personnel have been present at the plant since Sept. 1, 2022.
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