Air Delivered event in Ukraine on Thu 4th June 2026

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Thursday that the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP) came under “heavy attack” earlier in the day. In a statement posted on US social media platform X, the UN nuclear watchdog said it had been informed about the attack by the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The agency said its team stationed at the ZNPP observed light smoke rising from the direction of the thermal power plant, whose switchyard helps deliver electricity to the nuclear facility, and heard sounds of military activity. “The incident raises serious concern about the ZNPP’s sole remaining power line, which in recent weeks has been disconnected several times, leaving the plant entirely reliant on emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs to cool its six reactors and avoid the threat of a nuclear accident,” the statement read. The power line remains connected, according to the agency, which noted that ZTPP personnel were sheltering during the attack. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed “deep concern about the reported attack and says it must stop immediately, to avoid the danger of an extended loss of power incident at the ZNPP,” the statement added. Neither Russian nor Ukrainian authorities have commented on the IAEA statement. The situation around Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant and one of the world's 10 largest, remains tense amid persistent concerns over a potential nuclear disaster, with Moscow and Kyiv frequently accusing each other of carrying out attacks around the facility. Since Sept. 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been stationed at the plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022. Earlier Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 272 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukraine's Air Force, meanwhile, said it had downed 264 of 293 drones launched by Russia overnight. The claims by both sides could not be independently verified.