On Monday, May 4, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that the weather monitoring equipment at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in southeastern Ukraine, currently under Russian control, has been damaged by drones and is currently non-operational.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe with six reactor units. The plant was occupied by Russian forces in the early stages of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Since then, both sides have frequently accused each other of military actions that may endanger the safety of the nuclear plant.
On May 4, the IAEA posted on X, stating, “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team visited the External Radiation Control Laboratory (ERCL) of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant today. The weather monitoring equipment at the plant was attacked by drones a day ago and is currently non-operational.”
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi emphasized in the post, “We reiterate our call for all parties to exercise maximum military restraint near all nuclear facilities to avoid triggering security risks.”
The power plant is currently not generating electricity and has been targeted by drone attacks multiple times since the conflict began. The management from the Russian side stated on May 3 that the damage from the recent attack was minor, and other operational activities were not affected.
In another report by Ukrainian media Rbc-Ukraine, it was mentioned that in the spring of this year (2026), a Russian drone killed a driver near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The target of this attack was a transportation workshop near the plant, highlighting once again the life-threatening risks faced by the workers.
To assess the condition of critical infrastructure necessary for the operation of the nuclear plant, the IAEA has dispatched inspection teams to Ukraine to inspect the plant’s substations, marking the seventh mission of this kind carried out by the organization.
Furthermore, an external power line used for cooling nuclear fuel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been disconnected since late March. IAEA stated last week that efforts are underway to arrange a local ceasefire to facilitate maintenance operations.
Since the involvement of the nuclear plant in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, IAEA Director General Grossi has made several personal visits and deployed IAEA observers to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the other three operating nuclear plants in Ukraine. Through real-time monitoring, they aim to prevent any potential radiation leakage crisis.
(This article is referenced from Reuters.)