Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev reported yesterday that a Ukrainian combat drone hit the turbine hall of Zaporozhye NPP Unit 6 on Saturday afternoon. “This afternoon, a Ukrainian combat drone hit the turbine hall of power unit 6, causing a subsequent detonation. The explosion did not damage the main equipment, but it did create a hole in the turbine hall wall. It is noteworthy that the drone was controlled via fiber optic cable. This completely rules out the possibility of an accidental strike,” Likhachev said, reported TASS.
Likhachev also directed a pointed comment at the silence of the West over the recent escalation of attacks upon the ZNPP, prior to yesterday’s new development: “The entire international community can be ‘congratulated,’ so to speak, as this is the first targeted attack on a nuclear power plant’s core equipment, with penetrating explosive destruction and damage to the turbine building.” He added: “The Ukrainian armed forces repeatedly cross not just red lines, but the lines of common sense. What to expect next? Strike directly on the turbine? The reactor hall? The reactor and safety systems?”
ZNPP reported that radiation levels remain normal at the site, that there was “critical damage” to the facility and that there were no casualties. While they have “full control” over the situation, emergency teams are currently accessing the damage. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Director General Rafael Grossi expressed “serious concern” over the “reported incident” and that they have requested access for their onsite personnel “to examine the affected turbine building first-hand.” Russia has a consistent track record on their reports to the IAEA, calling for their investigations, which have up to now confirmed their reports. There is little reason to doubt the IAEA will both verify the report and refuse to name which side launched the attack.
Ukraine’s military responded, saying that this was “yet another propaganda ploy” by Russia and that Ukraine’s military adheres to international humanitarian law—a standard phrase, also employed a week ago for the deliberate attack on the Starobilsk school dormitory. They further explain: “Along the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used.” They added that they do not possess fiber-optics-guided drones of sufficient range or packed with powerful enough charges capable of penetrating a wall. Hence, Moscow is engaged in “nuclear terrorism,” as they use ZNPP “as a tool of… information provocations.” Their claim is “another attempt to discredit Ukraine and conceal Russia’s own criminal actions.”
However, their denial and explanations are belied by the recent pattern. For over two months: Kiev has resisted IAEA attempts to arrange for the repair of ZNPP’s main electrical power line; the only backup line has failed three times; diesel fuel deliveries to the facility have been suspended due to strikes nearby; buses used to transport employees have been hit by drones when a “substantial hole in the concrete roof of the garage” was created; and on May 27, ZNPP lost all communication with the outside world for twelve hours.
Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who focuses on matters pertaining to military and terrorist crimes committed by Ukraine and the West, told TASS: “Active attempts of attacking the plant, that were committed during the entire month, speak of deliberate actions, demonstrating readiness to resort to any provocations from desperation, ignoring their consequences for millions of people.”
