UN nuclear watchdog says employee of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant killed in drone attack

Ilayda Cakirtekin

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced early Friday that an employee of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was killed in a drone attack.

“The IAEA has been informed that an employee of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was killed by a drone attack today,” the agency announced on the US social media platform X.

It noted that the victim was reportedly a welder at the plant’s centralized repair workshop.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said “any attack on nuclear plant staff is completely unacceptable and violates the Seven Indispensable Pillars for Nuclear Safety and Security during an armed conflict,” it added.

It further stressed Grossi’s call for “maximum military restraint to help prevent the risk of a nuclear accident during the conflict.”