Drone Attacks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant; IAEA Board to Hold Emergency Meeting

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors is set to hold an emergency meeting this week at the request of Ukraine and Russia to discuss recent drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. According to Reuters, Russia announced on Tuesday that Ukraine has attacked the plant with drones for the third consecutive day. Kyiv claims it has no connection to these attacks, attributing them to Russia. The Chair of the Board stated in a confidential note distributed among members, which Reuters has seen, that both Russia and Ukraine have requested an extraordinary meeting. He also informed the 35 members of the council that this meeting will take place on Thursday, April 11, at 3 PM local time. The agency is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. The IAEA had previously stated that on Sunday, an attacking drone struck one of the reactors at the nuclear facility, which has been under Russian occupation since the early weeks of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In its statement, the UN nuclear watchdog called for an end to such attacks on the largest nuclear power plant in Europe without blaming either side in the conflict. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the agency, who has repeatedly warned about the safety of the plant since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, described the attacks as 'serious' on Monday and stated, 'They should not happen again.' Since the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was captured by Russia in the early weeks of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of targeting the facility. Grossi traveled to Russia in mid-March to discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant and the need for its security with Russian officials. He also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.