Gunfire near reactors: IAEA spots evidence of shooting at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Photo: IAEA recorded shooting near the ZNPP power units (Getty Images)
IAEA inspectors recorded hundreds of gunshots near the reactor units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Director General Rafael Grossi called the military activity unacceptable, according to a statement from the IAEA.
On the night of July 13, a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is stationed at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, recorded hundreds of small arms gunshots near the plant’s reactor units.
According to Grossi, the gunfire lasted for about an hour, starting at 10:00 p.m. local time.
In the morning, IAEA mission members inspected the area and discovered numerous small-caliber shell casings near Units 5 and 6. No signs of serious damage or broken windows were recorded.
The IAEA is currently clarifying the circumstances of the incident. Grossi emphasized that any military activity near a nuclear facility is unacceptable.
He also recalled the recent escalation of drone attacks in the area of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and in the city of Enerhodar, where the plant’s personnel reside.
The Director General of the Agency expressed deep concern that drone attacks are increasingly occurring near Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
According to him, any strike on a nuclear facility violates safety principles, including the Seven Indispensable Pillars of Nuclear Safety and the Five Principles for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant formulated by the IAEA in 2022–2023.
Situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, the occupiers have systematically violated safe operation standards at the nuclear facility, creating a constant threat of a technological disaster. Military equipment and personnel have been stationed on the plant’s premises.
On June 3, Grossi arrived in Ukraine and met with Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko.
During his one-day visit to Kyiv, the IAEA Director General stated that nuclear safety threats in Ukraine remain real and persistent amid intensified Russian air attacks.
