A Ukrainian drone struck a passage connecting the six reactor units at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022. The targeted passage is used by personnel to move between the plant's power units.
Alexey Likhachev, head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, stated that the strike occurred just a few meters from the reactor compartment of Unit 3. Likhachev said no explosion occurred during the strike and claimed that Ukrainian forces attempted to strike the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility at the plant last week.
Infrastructure and civilian impact
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, is currently receiving electricity through a single 330-kilovolt transmission line. A second transmission line, which Russian crews reportedly repaired in June, has not been reconnected.
Likhachev reported that the nearby city of Enerhodar, Ukraine, has faced repeated drone and artillery attacks that have disrupted water and electricity supplies. He stated that one woman was killed in a drone strike on a residential building in Enerhodar on Friday.
Number of Enerhodar residents killed since late April, according to Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev
According to Likhachev, 51 residents of Enerhodar have been injured since late April, in addition to the 15 fatalities.
Safety and monitoring
Likhachev criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 'insufficient efforts to ensure the plant's safety.' He noted that consultations included the possibility of a visit to the plant and Enerhodar by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
The IAEA has maintained a monitoring mission at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site since 2022 and has warned that military activity around the plant poses a serious nuclear safety risk.
