Drone strikes IAEA vehicle en route to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
Photo: a drone hits an IAEA mission vehicle (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
A drone struck a service vehicle of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as it was en route to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the IAEA press service reported.
According to the IAEA, the drone hit and severely damaged the IAEA vehicle on the road leading to the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the incident as an "unacceptable" attack on the agency's personnel, who are working to prevent a nuclear disaster amid the war.
A drone hit and severely damaged an official vehicle of the IAEA on the road to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant today, in what @RafaelMGrossi condemned as an "unacceptable" attack on Agency staff working to prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict. pic.twitter.com/XsqImDjISF
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) December 10, 2024
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also mentioned the strike on the IAEA vehicle during a meeting with Iratxe García Pérez, head of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.
However, he did not provide details about whether there were any casualties from the attack.
Updated at 19:50
Zelenskyy responded to the attack on the IAEA vehicle in a Telegram post.
"On the road in the Zaporizhzhia region — an area where Russia continues to illegally hold the nuclear power plant it has occupied — a Russian FPV drone attacked the IAEA convoy, whose mission is to ensure nuclear safety worldwide," he wrote.
According to him, the strike was aimed at one of the vehicles in the convoy. This time, there were no casualties or fatalities.
Zelenskyy believes that the attack shows how Russia treats everything related to international law and security.
"The Russians could not have been unaware of their target. They knew exactly what they were doing and acted deliberately. This attack requires a clear and decisive response from both the IAEA and other international partners. Silence or inaction will only encourage further crimes," the President said.
Situation at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest in Ukraine and Europe. The Russians have occupied the plant since March 4, 2022. They have mined part of the plant's territory and deployed their military there.
The Russians have also repeatedly carried out provocations at the plant. The facility has been on the brink of a blackout multiple times.
In particular, on the night of Saturday, November 30, an airstrike damaged a power line supplying electricity to the nuclear plant. This is the third such incident at ZNPP in a month. This poses a threat to radiation safety.
