Ukraine informed the IAEA that the shelling had damaged the facility’s external power supply system, but that two power lines remained operational, IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said. The shelling had also triggered the emergency protection system of one of the station’s three operating reactors. This unit was disconnected from the grid as a result of Friday’s events, Ukraine said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for new international sanctions on Moscow for “nuclear terror”.
On social media Zelenskiy said he had talked with Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and told him about the situation on the battlefield, in particular at Zaporizhzhia. “Russian nuclear terror requires a stronger response from the international community – sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry and nuclear fuel.”
Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, Energoatom, said a worker was wounded when Russian forces reportedly shelled the facility, the biggest nuclear station in Europe, on Saturday evening.
Ukraine also informed the IAEA that there had been no damage to the reactors themselves, no radiological release and no reports of injuries. However, it said a nitrogen-oxygen station, which supports plant operations, and an auxiliary building were damaged. Firefighters had quickly extinguished a fire at the nitrogen-oxygen station, but it still needs to be repaired, Ukraine said. The IAEA said it has also received information about shelling near the spent fuel storage facility.
On Saturday morning, two of the station’s six units were operating and the radiation situation was normal, Ukraine told the IAEA.
UK Says Russia Has Undermined Safety And Security
Based on the limited information available, Mr Grossi said IAEA experts had made a preliminary assessment that the current nuclear safety and security situation at Zaporizhzhia seemed stable, with no immediate threat to nuclear safety.
The IAEA said it will continue to closely monitor the evolution of the situation, the progress of repairs and any nuclear safety implications at the site, he said.
Last week the UK’s defence ministry said in its daily briefing that Russia’s intentions regarding Zaporizhzhia remain unclear, but the actions Russian forces have undertaken at the facility “have probably undermined the security and safety of its normal operations”.
“Russian forces are probably operating in the regions adjacent to the power station and have used artillery units based in these areas to target Ukrainian territory on the western bank of the Dnipro river,” the briefing said.
“Russian forces have probably used the wider facility area, in particular the adjacent city of Enerhodar, to rest their forces, utilising the protected status of the nuclear power plant to reduce the risk to their equipment and personnel from overnight Ukrainian attacks.”
Ukraine and Russia blamed each other on Sunday for renewed shelling on Saturday night of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia.
Zaporizhzhia was taken by Russian troops after an armed assault on 4 March 2022 and has since remained occupied but operational in a reduced state.
The IAEA has not been able to visit the Russian-occupied facility in Ukraine's south since before the conflict began five months ago
