Russia says Ukraine struck Zaporizhzhia plant

MOSCOW — Russia said Ukraine struck the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station controlled by Russian forces three times on Sunday and demanded that the West respond, though Kyiv said it had nothing to do with the attacks.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has experts at the site, said it was the first time the nuclear plant, Europe's largest, was directly targeted since November 2022 and said the attack had endangered nuclear safety.

It came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that his country will lose the battle if the US Congress does not approve a major military aid package.

Ukraine has made increasingly urgent calls to the US to send the proposed $60 billion aid package that has been blocked by Republicans in Congress for months.

The Ukrainian military acknowledged that the fighting around the front line city of Chasiv Yar was "difficult" and "tense". Chasiv Yar is less than 30 kilometers from Kramatorsk, an important rail and logistics hub for the army.

Russian forces took control of the plant in 2022, shortly after the conflict broke out. Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear accident by attacking the plant.

Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, said Ukraine attacked the plant three times on Sunday with drones, first injuring three near a canteen, then attacking a cargo area and then the dome above reactor No 6.

"The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station has been subjected to an unprecedented series of drone attacks, a direct threat to the safety of the plant," Rosatom said. "The radiation levels at the plant and the surrounding area have not changed."

Ukraine said it had nothing to do with any strikes on the station and suggested they were the work of Russians themselves.

Kyiv denial

"Ukraine is not involved in any armed provocations on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine's military intelligence, said.

The plant, with a total capacity of 6 gigawatts, has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235 and also has spent nuclear fuel at the facility.

Reactors No 1, 2, 5 and 6 are in cold shutdown while Reactor No 3 is shut down for repair and Reactor No 4 is in so-called hot shutdown, according to the plant.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Ukrainian drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station were very dangerous.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged world leaders to condemn the act of "nuclear terrorism".

She asked how many more times Ukraine would endanger nuclear safety at the plant before Western leaders took action.

The IAEA said its experts had confirmed three drone attacks and that Russian troops engaged what appeared to be a drone approaching reactor No 6.

"This is a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately," IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said.

"Attacking a nuclear power plant is an absolute no go," Grossi said.

"Although the damage at unit 6 has not compromised nuclear safety, this was a serious incident that had the potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor's containment system," he added.

Agencies - Xinhua