The International Atomic Energy Agency has requested immediate access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, after a drone strike was reported to have struck a turbine building within the complex's perimeter. The agency's head, Rafael Grossi, is said to have expressed serious concern over the incident, which, if confirmed, would represent the first drone attack inside the plant's boundaries since April 2024. An IAEA team already stationed at the site has sought permission to examine the affected structure directly, though it remains unclear when such access might be granted by the Russian-installed management currently overseeing operations. Russia's state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, claimed that a Ukrainian drone struck the turbine hall of Power Unit No.

6 on Saturday, causing a subsequent detonation that tore a hole in the building's wall. Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev described the incident as deliberate, though he stated that no primary equipment had been damaged as a result. The plant, which was seized by Russian forces in March 2022, has had all six of its reactors shut down for safety reasons since coming under Kremlin control, a circumstance that has not entirely alleviated international concern about the risks posed by ongoing hostilities in the vicinity. Ukraine's military categorically denied any involvement, characterising Moscow's claims as a propaganda ploy.

In a formal statement, Ukrainian armed forces asserted that their personnel operate strictly within the bounds of international humanitarian law and are fully conscious of the consequences of targeting nuclear infrastructure. The military further noted that no active fighting had been recorded at the relevant section of the front during the period in question, and that no weapons had been deployed there.