Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant hit by drones, IAEA says

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that three drone-related incidents this week at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant injured two employees and raised renewed safety concerns.

The UN nuclear watchdog said radiation levels at the site remained normal.

One attack reportedly happened Tuesday near the plant's cooling facility. On Wednesday, a drone detonated at the dry spent nuclear fuel storage site, and another reportedly hit a sprinkling device in the plant's power units system, the IAEA said.

IAEA director general Rafael Grossi said any attack against nuclear sites was unacceptable and called for maximum military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

The Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine was seized by the Russian army in March 2022, weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion. Both sides in the conflict regularly accuse each other of attacking the site in Enerhodar, on the Dnipro river frontline.

IAEA teams have had a permanent presence at the plant since September 2022. The plant's six reactors have been shut down since 2022.