A drone strike killed a driver near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces, on Monday morning, April 27.
According to a post by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on X:
“The IAEA has been informed by the ZNPP that a drone strike this morning killed a driver at its transport workshop in the vicinity of the plant site.”
An IAEA team, which is permanently stationed at the facility, will investigate the incident and continue monitoring the situation.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi added that “strikes on or near NPPs can endanger nuclear safety and must not take place.”
Russia claimed the driver was killed “as a result of a strike by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of the transport workshop of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.” The claim could not be independently verified.
On Sunday, April 26, the Zaporizhzhia NPP also experienced another blackout.
According to a statement from Energoatom on Telegram, the plant lost external power after the Ferosplavna-1 transmission line was disconnected, forcing it into blackout mode. For about an hour and a half, the facility was powered by 19 backup diesel generators.
Energoatom said this was the 15th blackout at the plant since its occupation, warning that repeated incidents increase nuclear and radiation risks for Ukraine and Europe.
The company reiterated that returning the plant to Ukrainian control is essential for safe operations, calling it the only guarantee of safety at Europe’s largest nuclear power facility.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russia of turning the plant into a military base. In a statement marking the anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, he said Russian forces are storing weapons at the site, mining its perimeter, and effectively holding the nearby city of Enerhodar “hostage.”
He also warned that repeated attacks near nuclear infrastructure demonstrate that Russia “cannot be a participant in civilized international relations,” and called for stronger sanctions and international pressure.