UN atomic watchdog says status of Ukrainian nuclear plant occupied by Russia is 'extremely serious'

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion caused by an alleged drone attack at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine on Tuesday posed no direct threat to its safety but underscored the “extremely serious situation” at the facility that repeatedly has been caught in the war 's crossfire, the U.N.’s atomic watchdog agency said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said its team was aware of an explosion at a training center next to the plant. It said it was “informed” the blast was from a drone attack.

The IAEA, announcing the incident on the social platform X, gave no further details but its information presumably came from Russians occupying and running the plant since the early stages of the war.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world, and fighting in the southern part of Ukraine where it is located has raised the specter of a potential nuclear disaster like the one at Chernobyl in 1986, where a reactor exploded and blew deadly radiation across a vast area.

Neither side has in recent months been able to make significant advances along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line crossing eastern and southern Ukraine. Drones, artillery and missiles have featured heavily in what has become a war of attrition.

Russia and Ukraine have frequently traded accusations over the Zaporizhzhia plant. On Monday, Moscow alleged Ukraine was behind drone attacks on the facility a day before, and Kyiv accused Russia of disinformation tactics.

The IAEA reported Sunday that its inspectors had confirmed “the physical impact of drone detonations” and watched as “Russian troops engaged what appeared to be an approaching drone.”

Energoatom, the Ukrainian nuclear plant operator, blasted Russia’s latest allegations in a statement Tuesday. It accused Moscow of publishing “propaganda” and “false statements” to manipulate public opinion.

It noted that Russia has deployed troops and landmines at the site, which is one of four atomic power plants in Ukraine. The other three remain in Ukrainian hands.

“The dangerous game of the (Russian) occupiers at the nuclear facility must be stopped,” it said.

The most recent strikes did not compromise the facility, according to the IAEA. But the watchdog has repeatedly expressed alarm about the plant amid fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.

According to Ukrainian emergency services, a nuclear disaster would compel the evacuation of some 300,000 people.

Also, Ukraine’s intelligence agency claimed Tuesday it struck an aviation training center in southwestern Russia with a drone and said a fire on board a Russian navy corvette on the Baltic coast was “not accidental.”

The claims could not be independently verified or corroborated. Russia made no comment on them.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine