The Russian state corporation "Rosatom" announced that a Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit the engine (turbine) hall of Unit 6 of the Zaporozhye NPP occupied by Russia, which caused a detonation and punched a hole in the wall of the building.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine categorically denied the accusations, calling them another piece of Russian disinformation and media provocation.
According to the Russian side, the strike was carried out in the afternoon of May 30 and was aimed directly at the turbine hall of Unit 6. The Director of "Rosatom" Alexey Likhachev reported that the main nuclear equipment was not damaged and there was no change in radiation levels, which remained within the norm. No employees were injured. The drone used was controlled via an optical fiber (fiber optic cable), which, according to the Russians, excludes the possibility of an accidental strike and proves its intentional nature.
Moscow defines the incident as an extremely dangerous precedent that brings the region closer to a nuclear accident. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already been notified of the case.
The Operational Command “South“ of the Armed Forces of the Ukraine officially stated that Ukrainian forces did not attack the plant and strictly observe international humanitarian law regarding nuclear facilities. The Ukrainian military indicated that they do not have fiber optic drones with such a long range and a heavy cumulative warhead (5-6 kg), necessary to break through such a wall. Ukraine noted that the Russian occupation forces have deployed multi-layered smoke screens around the nuclear power plant, through which it is physically impossible for such a drone to fly through unnoticed.
Kiev claims that Russia is deliberately not showing high-quality photos or videos of the damage and is using the occasion to distract attention from its failures on the front.
On May 29, the IAEA sounded the alarm that on May 27 the plant was left without telephone lines and internet connection for nearly 12 hours due to increased military activity near the city of Energodar.
All six reactors of the "Zaporozhye" NPP are currently in a state of complete shutdown (cold or hot shutdown) since the fall of 2022, but the facility still requires a constant external power supply to cool the nuclear fuel.