Russian nuclear company reports attack on Zaporizhzhia plant

Rosatom said three people were injured, one seriously. Both Russian officials and the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation levels were normal and damage was not serious.

A Ukrainian intelligence official said Kiev had nothing to do with the attacks and blamed them on Russian forces themselves.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. Photo: REUTERS

Russian troops seized the nuclear power plant in the first weeks of their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both sides accused the other of attacking the plant.

A Rosatom statement said the first attack on the plant occurred in the area near the canteen, injuring three employees, but did not say what type of weapon was involved.

Within half an hour, a drone attacked the loading area and another drone then attacked the dome of the sixth reactor.

The statement said Rosatom "strongly condemns the unprecedented attack" and called on IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and the European Union to respond immediately to the safety threat.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on world leaders to condemn acts of "nuclear terrorism".

The spokesman for Ukraine's HUR Main Intelligence Directorate, Andriy Usov, denied any involvement.

The IAEA, which has experts on site, posted the news on its social media platform. “The damage to Unit 6 does not affect nuclear safety, but it is a serious incident that has the potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor’s containment system,” the agency said.

There have been three “direct attacks” on such facilities, Mr Grossi of the IAEA added. “This cannot be allowed to happen,” he wrote.

The nuclear plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cong-ty-hat-nhan-nga-bao-cao-vu-tan-cong-nha-may-zaporizhzhia-post290875.html