[An armored vehicle belonging to the UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was hit by a drone strike on its way to inspect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine on Tuesday. The attack, which the IAEA said destroyed the back of the vehicle, was allegedly carried out by Russia. The two people on board were not harmed.
According to the IAEA, the driver of a second vehicle in the convoy saw the Kamikaze drone coming from behind and slamming into the targeted vehicle. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the strike, alleging that the vehicle was deliberately targeted.
The IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi condemned the attack, stating that “attacking those who care for the nuclear safety and security of these plants is also absolutely unacceptable.” The agency has repeatedly warned that the safety of the site has been threatened by shelling, airstrikes, staffing shortages, working conditions and losses of off-site power supply.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been under Russian control since March 2022, and Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of acting recklessly in its vicinity. The IAEA’s personnel eventually reached the plant to complete a staff rotation following the drone strike.
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