Ukraine Denies Zaporizhzhya Npp Drone Strike on Power Unit No. 6
Ukraine denied that its drone deliberately hit zaporizhzhya npp on Saturday, after Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled site and left a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. Rosatom’s head, Alexei Likhachev, said the drone hit the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6 and triggered a subsequent detonation.
The dispute centers on Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which Russia captured in March 2022 and which sits close to the frontline in the south-eastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by the plant that a drone struck a turbine building and asked for first-hand access to examine the affected area.
Rosatom and Ukraine’s military
Rosatom said the strike did not cause damage to key equipment. Likhachev called the incident deliberate. Ukraine’s military rejected the allegation as “yet another propaganda ploy” and said, “Ukrainian servicemen act strictly within the international humanitarian law and are fully aware of the consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.”
Ukraine’s military also said, “At the relevant section of the frontline, there was no active fighting during the incident, and no weapons were used.” That account directly contests Rosatom’s description of a drone strike at the plant. The disagreement leaves the turbine hall claim at the center of the incident, with each side describing a different sequence of events.
Rafael Grossi and the IAEA
Rafael Grossi, the IAEA chief, said on Saturday: “Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire.” His agency said it wanted to inspect the turbine building first-hand after hearing the plant’s account. The request places the next step with the IAEA team, not with the competing wartime statements.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also weighed in on X, writing: “We are rightfully bringing the war back to where it came from.” His statement sits alongside a broader overnight pattern in Russia, where Russian officials said drone strikes caused fires at more oil facilities overnight into Saturday, including a fire at an oil depot and tanker in Taganrog and a fire at an oil depot in Armavir. The Zaporizhzhia claim, however, remains the main disputed incident because it concerns a nuclear site.
The immediate next move is the IAEA team’s access request to the affected turbine building. That inspection, if granted, is the step that can narrow the gap between Rosatom’s account, Ukraine’s denial, and the agency’s own on-the-ground assessment.
