Russia playing a ‘very dangerous game’ after drone incident at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant — US
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Russia is playing a “very dangerous game” by occupying Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the U.S. is urging Russia to vacate the station and return control to Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing on April 8.
The comments came in response to a journalist's request to address what the U.S. knows regarding the incident involving a drone at ZNPP.
Miller said that they had seen reports of the drone attack on the ZNPP and continue to monitor the situation, including official reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"You have heard from us before about our belief that Russia is playing a very dangerous game with its military seizure of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant — the largest in Europe,” he said.
“It’s dangerous that they’ve done that and we continue to call on Russia to withdraw its military and civilian personnel from the plant, to return full control of the plant to the competent Ukrainian authorities, and refrain from taking any actions that could result in a nuclear incident at the plant."
Drone explosion at ZNPP on April 7
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that a drone exploded at the ZNPP on April 7. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the agency recorded at least three direct hits on the main protective shield of the ZNPP reactor.
IAEA later reported that explosions and gunfire were heard at the Russian-occupied ZNPP on April 7, when Russian forces shot at an unidentified flying object. IAEA experts discovered damaged communication and surveillance equipment inside one of the plant's six reactor buildings. Outside the laboratory, IAEA representatives observed bloodstains near a damaged military vehicle, suggesting at least one casualty from the gunfire.
Ukraine said that it is not involved in any provocative actions or strikes on the territory of the Ukrainian nuclear facility and demands the immediate liberation of the ZNPP territory from Russia’s occupation forces.
The security situation at the ZNPP continues to deteriorate due to Russian actions, though no chemical leaks were detected following the April 7 incident, Ukrainian intelligence reported on April 8.
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