Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the surrounding area were rocked by “powerful explosions” on Sunday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
The bombardment caused damage to buildings and equipment at the facility, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, but no casualties were reported, according to plant management.
“The news from our team yesterday and this morning is extremely worrying,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Sunday.
“Explosions occurred at the site of this major nuclear power plant, which is completely unacceptable. Whoever is behind this must be stopped immediately. As I have said many times before, you are playing with fire!”
A Russian all-terrain armored vehicle is parked outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during the visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert mission.
(REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File photo)
Russia and Ukraine once again traded blame for the attacks. Ukrainian state nuclear operator Energoatom accused Russia of trying to “damage or destroy as much of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as possible” before winter, while Russia accused Ukrainian forces of bombing power lines supplying electricity to the plant.
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Russia has occupied the facility since the early days of the war, though it is still operated by Ukrainian personnel.
A rescuer from the Emergencies Ministry of Ukraine attends an exercise in the city of Zaporizhzhia on August 17, 2022, in the event of a possible nuclear incident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant located near the city.
(DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces also shelled civilian infrastructure in the Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday, destroying 30 houses.
In Kherson, about 120 miles southwest of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, two Russian missiles hit an oil reservoir on Saturday, starting a huge fire. The southern city, which was recently retaken by Ukrainian forces, was also hit by tank shells and other artillery.
A Ukrainian serviceman walks past a kindergarten building damaged during a Russian missile attack in the village of Novooleksandrivka, in the Kherson region of Ukraine.
(REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
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Zelenskyy said scheduled power outages will also occur in 15 regions and the capital Kyiv on Monday.
“Restoration of networks and technical supply capabilities, demining of power transmission lines, repairs – everything happens around the clock,” Zelenskyy said in his late-night speech on Sunday.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
