The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Tuesday that a drone exploded at a bus stop used by workers at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, killing one person and injuring 16 others in what the plant’s director described as the worst incident the facility has experienced.
The explosion occurred at approximately 6 a.m. local time on August 18 at a bus stop outside the plant’s main security perimeter, striking staff and subcontractors during a shift change. Among the 16 casualties, three sustained serious injuries, the IAEA said in a statement posted on the social media platform X.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called on “military commanders responsible for these actions as well as all others aiming on nuclear power plants and/or their staff to put an immediate stop to these unacceptable actions.” He said the strikes “constitute great risks to nuclear safety and security during the conflict.”
Nuclear Plant Under Russian Control
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of actions that compromise nuclear safety at the site.
The IAEA has maintained a monitoring presence at the plant throughout the conflict but has repeatedly warned that shelling and military activity near the facility risk triggering a radiological emergency. In July, water supply infrastructure serving parts of the station was damaged in strikes.
The latest incident marks a significant escalation because the attack directly targeted the plant’s workforce rather than infrastructure. Ukrainian officials and UNITED24 Media have previously accused Russian forces of using the occupied plant as a staging ground for military operations, including launching attacks from its perimeter.
Background of Nuclear Safety Concerns
The plant sits on the southern bank of the Dnipro River in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Its six VVER-1000 reactors have been in cold shutdown since 2022, but the facility still requires continuous cooling and monitoring to prevent a meltdown. Previous incidents at the site have included fires, power supply disruptions, and reported mining of the facility by occupying forces.
Grossi has repeatedly warned that the conflict around Zaporizhzhia poses an existential risk to European nuclear safety, comparing the danger to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The IAEA’s latest update noted that the plant’s director characterized the bus stop attack as an unprecedented threat to the workers maintaining the facility.
The incident adds to growing international pressure on both sides to establish safety zones around nuclear installations, though diplomatic efforts to reach such agreements have repeatedly stalled amid the broader conflict.
Sources: IAEA; Reuters; The Star Malaysia; UNITED24 Media; IAEA Statement on Zaporizhzhia
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