Concern over the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear plant has been rife since Russia launched its full-scale struggle on Ukraine practically 5 years in the past.
Revealed On 18 Aug 2026
A drone strike near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant in occupied southeastern Ukraine has killed one nuclear specialist and wounded 17, in line with Russian stories.
Moscow asserted on Tuesday that the drone was launched by Ukraine. The safety of Europe’s largest nuclear plant has provoked important international concern amid the full-scale struggle on Ukraine that Russia launched in February 2022.
Most of these injured by the strike had been workers of the plant, in line with a Telegram replace by the Russian administration of the nuclear facility. It asserted that the assault constituted one of the severe incidents within the plant’s historical past.
The Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) earlier confirmed stories that the strike hit workers members at a bus cease.
“No nuclear security or safety injury was reported,” the IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, mentioned on social media.
Nevertheless, it known as “on army commanders answerable for these actions in addition to all others aiming on nuclear energy crops and/or their workers to place a right away cease to those unacceptable actions”, citing the “nice dangers to nuclear security”.
The Zaporizhzhia plant was seized by Russian forces a month after Moscow launched its invasion. The ability has been below Russian administration since.
The protection of the plant – and the potential penalties of a success amid the hostilities – have been a priority because the begin of the struggle.
Zaporizhzhia’s six reactors can produce practically six gigawatts of electrical energy, and the plant was essential to supplying energy to Ukraine’s nationwide grid. The entire reactors have been shut down since Russia captured the plant, however a strike might trigger injury and probably trigger severe leaks of radioactive materials.
Tuesday’s strike got here forward of a scheduled go to by IAEA Director-Common Rafael Grossi to evaluate nuclear security. It’s not clear if that go to will nonetheless happen.
A Russian strike on a thermal energy plant was reported in central Ukraine a number of hours later, forcing a halt to operations, in line with DTEK, Ukraine’s largest power supplier and the corporate that operates the plant.
No casualties had been reported, however DTEK acknowledged on social media that the assault brought about “important injury to gear”.
Russia has attacked the corporate’s thermal crops 230 occasions because the begin of the struggle, in line with DTEK’s Telegram channel, because it wages a marketing campaign to destroy Ukraine’s power infrastructure.
