A drone struck an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) car on its way to its nuclear power plant, which is under the control of Russian forces, today. There were no casualties from the strike and those on board are safe and sound, IAEA director Rafael Grossi said on Platform X (formerly Twitter).
“I condemn in the strongest possible way this attack against IAEA personnel,” Grossi said, clarifying that the attack took place during the process of replacing the staff overseeing the nuclear plant.
“We appeal, once again, for maximum possible restraint,” continued the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, underlining that there is a risk of a nuclear disaster if the plant’s facilities in Zaporizhia are affected. However, he refrained from specifying who was responsible for the airstrike against the IAEA vehicle.
A photo accompanying Grossi’s post on Platform X shows a wrecked car with sharp IAEA insignia.
A Russian drone hit an IAEA official vehicle on its way to the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Source: Director General of the agency Grossi.
Video: MP Serhiy Rudyk— WithUkraine (@With__Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of a deliberate strike by Russian forces, which demonstrates Moscow’s contempt for international law and international organizations. “This attack clearly demonstrates how Russia views everything related to international law, international organizations and security. It is impossible that the Russians were unaware of their goal, they knew exactly what they were doing and acted deliberately,” Zelensky wrote in a post on Kh. Ukraine’s president called on the International Atomic Energy Agency and other bodies to give a “clear and decisive answer” to Russia.
Russian troops have occupied the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in all of Europe, since the very first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine. Kiev and Moscow often accuse each other of strikes in the vicinity, raising concerns about the safety of nuclear facilities.
