Ukraine has denied accusations by Moscow that it launched a drone strike on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, an alleged attack which Russia's state nuclear corporation claimed left a hole in the facility's turbine building.
A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement late Saturday slammed what is described as "baseless accusations," saying Kyiv considers the claims "another information operation" aimed at distracting the international community's attention from Russia's control over the plant during the ongoing war.
"As always, the Russian accusations lack logic: it is not clear for what purpose Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant, located on its own territory, which it seeks to return to its sovereign control," the statement said.
It went on to accuse Russia of refusing to provide "full and unhindered access" to all areas of the power plant for international experts.
"A state that does not allow international inspectors into certain areas of an occupied nuclear facility is now demanding that the world trust its own reports about events at the same facility," it added.
The statement added that Ukraine calls on members of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors to give a principled response to Moscow's actions "not only in statements, but also in decisions," as well as urging members not to support granting Russia a seat at the IAEA body during their session in June.
In an earlier statement, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces also denied Russia's claims, accusing Moscow of "another information provocation" and claiming there were no active hostilities in the relevant section of the front line.
"Ukrainian servicemen act exclusively within the norms of international humanitarian law and are aware of the consequences of any actions on nuclear facilities," it stated.
- Attacking nuclear sites is like 'playing with fire'
Earlier Saturday, Alexey Likhachev, that head of Russia's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, claimed that a Ukrainian combat drone struck the turbine building of Zaporizhzhia's sixth power unit, causing a subsequent blast.
"The explosion did not damage key equipment, but it did blow a hole in the turbine hall wall. It's noteworthy that the drone was controlled via fiber optics, completely ruling out the possibility of an accidental impact," he said in a statement.
Likhachev warned that repeated attacks on nuclear facilities are bringing the region closer to a potentially serious nuclear incident.
"Today we are one step closer to an incident that could highly likely affect even those living far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine, who still believe they are completely safe," Likhachev said.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi also confirmed the agency was informed by the plant that a drone struck a turbine building at the site.
"Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire, DG (Director General) Grossi says. The IAEA's team at the ZNPP (power plant) has requested access to examine the affected turbine building first-hand. This would be the first drone attack within the ZNPP's site perimeter since April 2024," the IAEA said on US social media company X.
"The IAEA will be updating this information as the IAEA team report on further details after obtaining the requested access to the incident site."
The situation around Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant and one of the world's 10 largest, remains tense as concerns persist over a possible nuclear disaster, with Moscow and Kyiv frequently accusing each other of attacks around the facility.
From Sept. 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been present at the plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.
