Russian officials made no immediate comment, and it was not possible to independently confirm Ukraine’s claim of Russian responsibility.
Read more: Macron warns against ‘peace that is a capitulation’ in UkraineZelenskyy said that the drone strike damaged the structure and started a fire, which has been put out.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the strike occurred at 1:50 a.m. local time (2350 GMT). It said there was “no indication of a breach in the … inner containment” shell.
The shell is a protective cover built around the fourth reactor of the plant, which exploded in 1986, causing one of the worst nuclear accidents in nuclear history.
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Built in 2016, the shell is designed to limit the release of radioactivity left in the reactor to the atmosphere.
The three-year Russia-Ukraine war has brought repeated warnings of dangers to Ukraine’s four nuclear plants, especially at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is Europe’s biggest and one of the 10 largest in the world.
IAEA chief Rafael Rossi, said on X that the strike at the CNPP and the recent increase in military activity near the Zaporizhzhia plant “underline persistent nuclear safety risks,” adding that the IAEA remains “on high alert.”
