Ukraine-Russia war latest: Belarus leader issues ominous threat to Zelensky over ‘one major target’
Lukashenko says he knows the Ukrainian military 'does not want any war with Belarus'
Kyiv denied a Russian claim that a Ukrainian drone struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest.
Russia's state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, said on Saturday that the drone exploded after tearing a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. Rosatom's CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of a "deliberate" attack.
"This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation," Likhachev said. He added there was no damage to main equipment.
Ukraine's military said it did not target or strike the plant, and described the Russian claim as "yet another propaganda ploy." A military statement said that it adheres to international humanitarian law and is aware of the "consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities."
"Along the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used," it added.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, voiced "serious concern" in a post on X following the incident.
The IAEA said in an online statement on Sunday that its inspectors "observed damage to the exterior of a turbine building" that was "consistent with the impact of the drone." It gave no details of where the drone may have come from, but said radiation levels at the site remained normal."
During a site walk down, the team saw damage to a metal access hatch located several levels up in the building, as well as a few pieces of debris and burned optical fiber remains on the ground," the agency said in a post on X. It added its inspectors had requested access to the inside of the turbine hall, "for further examination."
