ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Thursday that Ukraine conducted a drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

A statement by the Russian-installed management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant said on Telegram that a Ukrainian drone was downed near a building of the facility.

“No one was injured in the attack. There is no damage,” the statement said, further noting that inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were notified of the incident.

It went on to define Ukraine’s attacks as a “direct violation of the seven principles of nuclear safety and the five principles of safety at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, established by the IAEA at the UN Security Council.”

Neither Ukrainian authorities nor IAEA officials have immediately commented on Russia’s claims.

On Wednesday, a statement by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on the situation in Ukraine said the agency's team at the Zaporizhzhia plant reported explosions at varying distances from the facility almost every day.

Grossi further said occasional bursts of gunfire were also heard by the IAEA team, and that the agency continues to monitor and assess nuclear safety and security at Ukraine’s five main nuclear facilities.

The situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest and one of the world’s 10 biggest, particularly remains tense as concerns persist over a possible nuclear disaster involving Moscow and Kyiv, both of which have frequently accused each other of attacks around the facility.

Since Sept. 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been present at the plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.