Airstrikes hit Zaphorizhzhia nuclear power plant, UN says

Drones on Sunday struck the facility for the first time since November 2022, according to a statement by International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi. The agency demanded military decision-makers avoid targeting the plant in the future. Grossi said no one could conceivably benefit from damaging the facility. “This is a no-go,” he added.

Who struck the facility, Russia or Ukraine? Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed Ukraine in a statement released Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a statement Sunday blaming Russia for attacks in several regions of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia region. The Russian military has stationed troops at the facility, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said those troops engaged the incoming drones during the incident on Sunday.

Did the facility suffer any damage from the attack? According to an agency statement, the IAEA has not found any signs of damage to the security systems at the facility but did report scorch marks on one of the reactors. IAEA staff said at least one casualty appeared to result from the impact of one drone or pieces of drone debris.

Dig deeper: Read Janie B. Cheaney’s column in WORLD Magazine about how victory and the costs thereof are no longer stylish in conflicts like the one in Ukraine.