Russia Calls for Clear IAEA Response Over Alleged Attacks on Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant
Dragon Media News Desk
Russia has accused the Ukrainian side of continuing attacks on the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant and related infrastructure, urging the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, to issue a clear and firm response. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on September 15 that such actions were creating serious risks to nuclear safety.
According to Zakharova, tanker trucks transporting fuel for the plant’s emergency diesel generators were attacked on September 11. She said two Russian servicemen were killed and several others were injured in the incident. She expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished the wounded a speedy recovery.
She claimed that infrastructure linked to the plant’s external power supply was being deliberately targeted, stressing that sufficient diesel reserves are essential to operate emergency generators if outside electricity is lost. Attacks on such infrastructure and supply systems, she said, could directly undermine the safe operation of the plant.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that the Zaporozhskaya plant’s training centre was attacked by unmanned aerial vehicles on September 12. Zakharova argued that targeting a facility used to train nuclear personnel represented another step toward weakening nuclear safety. She also alleged that infrastructure and residential areas in the nearby city of Energodar had come under attack.
Zakharova said the incidents were particularly serious because they occurred during meetings of the IAEA’s policymaking bodies and around the time of the Agency’s 70th General Conference. She said Russia had been regularly providing the IAEA with information on the situation and drawing international attention to concerns over the plant’s security.
She called on the IAEA Secretariat and Director General Rafael Grossi to issue a clear assessment of the latest developments. Zakharova also claimed that the safety risks extended not only to Russian technical personnel working at the plant but also to IAEA staff stationed there.
The security situation around the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant has long been a matter of international concern. The IAEA has repeatedly called for caution regarding the plant’s external power supply, military activity around the site and the possible impact on nuclear safety systems. In the latest incidents, Russia has directly blamed Ukraine, while throughout the war both sides have repeatedly accused each other of responsibility for incidents around the plant.
