Zaporizhzhya NPP. Photo: Energoatom
A shooting near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on 24 April forced IAEA experts to seek shelter. According to the agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, the shots were fired near the main administrative building where the IAEA representatives work. They were ordered to stay indoors.
The occupation administration explained the incident as a “threat from drones” and suspended the mission’s planned activities.
According to Grossi, the IAEA team heard explosions and gunfire near the facility on a daily basis throughout the week. He emphasised that the nuclear safety situation at the plant remains critically unstable.
“What was once unimaginable – military operations near a nuclear facility – has become commonplace,” the CEO said.
The IAEA emphasises that it is doing everything possible to prevent a nuclear catastrophe during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
