UN atomic watchdog says status of Ukrainian nuclear plant occupied by Russia is ‘extremely serious’

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.N.’s atomic watchdog says an explosion caused by an alleged drone attack at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine poses no direct threat to its safety. However, it said the episode Tuesday underscored the “extremely serious situation” at the facility that repeatedly has been caught in the war’s crossfire. The International Atomic Energy Agency said its team was aware of an explosion at a training center next to the plant. It said it was “informed” the blast was from a drone attack. The IAEA, announcing the incident on X, formerly Twitter, gave no further details but its information presumably came from Russians occupying and running the plant since the early stages of the war. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the 10 biggest in the world.