Rosatom has called for a clear response from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Ukrainian strikes on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the nearby city of Energodar.
According to Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev, Russia urged the IAEA to provide an adequate reaction and take practical steps following a drone strike on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant’s sixth power unit. The incident occurred Saturday, when a Ukrainian fiber-optics-guided drone punctured a hole in the building.
Likhachev described the strike as “the first targeted attack on an operating nuclear power unit in human history,” stating Russia expects the IAEA to identify both the perpetrators and the reasons for these attacks.
The IAEA acknowledged damage consistent with a drone impact but has not attributed the incident to Ukraine. Director General Rafael Grossi characterized the strike as “a serious incident that endangered key nuclear safety principles.”
Likhachev told journalists after the call that the IAEA’s silence, lack of assessments, and failure to personify risks constitute “a green light for further escalation.” He added: “Radiation knows no borders and does not recognize passports. In this sense, any nuclear incident poses a threat to a number of countries and this threat will last for many years.”
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been targeted by Ukraine multiple times since Russia took control in March 2022. In recent months, Kiev has increasingly attacked infrastructure linked to the plant and in Energodar, including kindergartens, schools, roads, transport enterprises, and vehicles carrying supplies for the community.
Rosatom CEO Likhachev said face-to-face contacts with the IAEA will continue this week, with interdepartmental consultations involving Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Rostekhnadzor, Rosatom, and IAEA leaders scheduled for early July.