The International Atomic Energy Agency’s comments come after a drone strike near the Zaporizhzhia power plant in southeastern Ukraine.
The safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is deteriorating, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine has been under Russian control since it launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
On Saturday, a drone struck a perimeter access road used by personnel near the power plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed to Russian state news agency TASS that experts on the scene had been informed of the detonation and had immediately gone to the area.
Shortly after the strike, Russia accused Ukraine of planting the explosive device near the plant.
Zaporizhzhia has been the target of repeated attacks since the start of the conflict, with both sides accusing each other of being behind them.
As the plant sits idle, Russia and Ukraine have engaged in a war of words over its very existence, claiming their enemy is trying to sabotage its operations and endanger security around it.
In a statement, Mr Grossi said: “Once again, we are witnessing an escalation of the nuclear safety and security perils facing the plant.”
“I remain extremely concerned and I reiterate my call for the utmost restraint on the part of all parties and for strict compliance with the five concrete principles established for the protection of the plant,” he added.
The site of the strike on Saturday was apparently very close to key cooling water storage basins and just 100 meters from the Dniprovska power line, the only 750-kilovolt line still providing power to the plant, according to the IAEA.
The IAEA team that visited the site on Saturday said the damage appeared to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive charge.
The report confirms that there were no casualties and no significant impact on the nuclear power plant’s equipment, but that the road connecting the two main gates of Zaporizhzhia was clearly damaged.
The plant’s worrying security situation comes as Ukraine continues its incursion into Russia.
Since August 6, Ukrainian authorities claim to have taken control of some 82 localities covering an area of 1,150 square kilometers in the Kursk region.
The Russian news agency RIA reports that Moscow wants to discuss the apparent attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with the IAEA, citing Roman Ustinov, Russia’s acting representative in Vienna.
Moscow also alleges that Ukraine is drawing up plans to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant, something Kyiv has vehemently denied. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi called the claims “an outpouring of senseless Russian propaganda.”
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
