Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has demanded clearer action from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over strikes on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Energodar, according to CEO Aleksey Likhachev.
Likhachev held an “extraordinary unscheduled” phone call with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi Monday to discuss the “inadequacy” of the watchdog’s response after a Ukrainian fiber-optics-guided drone struck the machine hall of Zaporozhye NPP’s sixth power unit, puncturing a hole in the building on Saturday.
The Rosatom chief described the strike as “the first targeted attack on an operating nuclear power unit in human history,” stating Russia expects the IAEA to provide clear indications of both the perpetrators and reasons for these strikes.
The IAEA, which has experts deployed at Zaporozhye NPP, acknowledged damage consistent with a drone impact but once again avoided blaming Ukraine. Grossi called the incident “a serious incident that endangered key nuclear safety principles.”
Likhachev told journalists: “The silence, absence of assessments and personification of risks is essentially 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 on multiple occasions since Russia took control of the facility in March 2022. In recent months, Kiev has also increasingly targeted infrastructure linked to the plant and in Energodar, including kindergartens, schools, roads, transport enterprises, and vehicles carrying supplies for the community, according to Likhachev.
Face-to-face contacts with the IAEA are scheduled this week, with interdepartmental consultations involving Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Rostekhnadzor, Rosatom, and IAEA leaders set for early July.
