UAV event in Ukraine on Sat 17th August 2024

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has reported that the nuclear safety situation at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is deteriorating after a drone strike near the plant on 17 August.

Source: press release on the IAEA website

Details: Representatives of the IAEA mission were informed of a drone strike at the occupied ZNPP that occurred outside the plant's security zone.

The UAV supposedly exploded near the cooling ponds and about 100 metres from the Dnipro power line, the only 750 kilovolt (kV) line that provides power to the plant.

The IAEA team visited the site and noted damage likely caused by a drone equipped with explosives. The organisation reported no casualties or damage to the plant's equipment, though the strike occurred on the road between the two main gates of the plant.

Following this, Grossi declared a threat to nuclear safety and urged the warring parties to adhere to five specific principles established to protect the ZNPP.