02:50Mandatory credit: Russian Defence Ministry
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi was seen inspecting the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), including a cooling tower damaged by a fire following a reported drone attack weeks ago, on Wednesday.
Footage shows servicemen greeting the head of the agency and mission experts, before escorting them to the nuclear facility. The video also features head of the ZNPP Yuriy Chernichuk demonstrating the place where the drone fell, and the consequences of the fire.
"Now we have requested technical expertise. First of all, a special technical expertise will examine this structure for the possibility of its further operation. The experts will say the possible or most likely place where all this [drone] flew in and what caused the fire. We can only state that we saw a drone fly in here over the top," Chernichuk said.
On August 11, the head of the Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky reported that ZNPP’s cooling tower caught fire during a UAV attack on Energodar. According to media reports citing the ZNPP communications director Yevgeniya Yashina, no one was injured in the attack and the cooling tower that caught fire was located at a distance from the power units.
ZNPP Head Chernichuk later reported that while the cooling tower was completely burned out, the supporting structures had not been damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the fire at the ZNPP, adding that "only Ukrainian control over the Zaporozhye plant can guarantee a return to normality and complete safety."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would 'insist that the IAEA names the perpetrator of this attack', adding that "further silencing of this fact only condones Kiev’s sense of impunity."
In turn, Grossi appealed to stop the attacks against the ZNPP, calling them 'reckless'.
Since July 2022, Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the nuclear facility, after Russia took control of the plant in March of the same year. The IAEA has maintained a presence at Zaporozhye NPP since September 2022 to monitor safety at the plant.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
IAEA’s Grossi inspects damaged Zaporozhye NPP cooling tower following reported drone strike
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi was seen inspecting the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), including a cooling tower damaged by a fire following a reported drone attack weeks ago, on Wednesday.
Footage shows servicemen greeting the head of the agency and mission experts, before escorting them to the nuclear facility. The video also features head of the ZNPP Yuriy Chernichuk demonstrating the place where the drone fell, and the consequences of the fire.
"Now we have requested technical expertise. First of all, a special technical expertise will examine this structure for the possibility of its further operation. The experts will say the possible or most likely place where all this [drone] flew in and what caused the fire. We can only state that we saw a drone fly in here over the top," Chernichuk said.
On August 11, the head of the Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky reported that ZNPP’s cooling tower caught fire during a UAV attack on Energodar. According to media reports citing the ZNPP communications director Yevgeniya Yashina, no one was injured in the attack and the cooling tower that caught fire was located at a distance from the power units.
ZNPP Head Chernichuk later reported that while the cooling tower was completely burned out, the supporting structures had not been damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the fire at the ZNPP, adding that "only Ukrainian control over the Zaporozhye plant can guarantee a return to normality and complete safety."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would 'insist that the IAEA names the perpetrator of this attack', adding that "further silencing of this fact only condones Kiev’s sense of impunity."
In turn, Grossi appealed to stop the attacks against the ZNPP, calling them 'reckless'.
Since July 2022, Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the nuclear facility, after Russia took control of the plant in March of the same year. The IAEA has maintained a presence at Zaporozhye NPP since September 2022 to monitor safety at the plant.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Mandatory credit: Russian Defence Ministry
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi was seen inspecting the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), including a cooling tower damaged by a fire following a reported drone attack weeks ago, on Wednesday.
Footage shows servicemen greeting the head of the agency and mission experts, before escorting them to the nuclear facility. The video also features head of the ZNPP Yuriy Chernichuk demonstrating the place where the drone fell, and the consequences of the fire.
"Now we have requested technical expertise. First of all, a special technical expertise will examine this structure for the possibility of its further operation. The experts will say the possible or most likely place where all this [drone] flew in and what caused the fire. We can only state that we saw a drone fly in here over the top," Chernichuk said.
On August 11, the head of the Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky reported that ZNPP’s cooling tower caught fire during a UAV attack on Energodar. According to media reports citing the ZNPP communications director Yevgeniya Yashina, no one was injured in the attack and the cooling tower that caught fire was located at a distance from the power units.
ZNPP Head Chernichuk later reported that while the cooling tower was completely burned out, the supporting structures had not been damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the fire at the ZNPP, adding that "only Ukrainian control over the Zaporozhye plant can guarantee a return to normality and complete safety."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would 'insist that the IAEA names the perpetrator of this attack', adding that "further silencing of this fact only condones Kiev’s sense of impunity."
In turn, Grossi appealed to stop the attacks against the ZNPP, calling them 'reckless'.
Since July 2022, Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the nuclear facility, after Russia took control of the plant in March of the same year. The IAEA has maintained a presence at Zaporozhye NPP since September 2022 to monitor safety at the plant.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.