• Explosions shook the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine this weekend.
• More than a dozen bombs were heard Sunday morning local time.
• Attackers are “playing with fire,” the chief of the IAEA says.

Powerful explosions shook the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine this weekend, reviving concerns about a nuclear accident.

Rafael Grossi, chief of the IAEA, said the attackers were “playing with fire,” repeating a September warning.

More than a dozen bombs were heard Sunday morning local time, IAEA scientists said. It was observed that shelling occurred both close to and at the facility. Nuclear watchdog IAEA said officials could see explosions from their windows.

“Whoever is behind this, it must stop immediately,” Grossi added.

The IAEA team said certain structures, systems, and equipment at the plant were damaged, but none were crucial for nuclear safety and security. There were no casualties reported.

Kyiv and Moscow both claimed responsibility for the assaults.

Also Read

At least four killed in nocturnal strike in Zaporizhzhia, claims official

Russian missile attack on Vilniansk in Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine leaves at...

Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power corporation, warned that Russian soldiers may be trying to cut off the country’s electricity. In recent weeks, the Kremlin has bombed and attacked Ukrainian infrastructure to disable Kyiv’s heating system as winter approaches.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the explosions in Zaporizhzhya were caused by Ukrainian artillery fire.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russian soldiers of keeping heavy weaponry within the complex and using it as a cover to launch strikes, knowing that Ukraine cannot return fire without risking hitting a reactor.

Grossi and the IAEA have urged both sides to construct a nuclear safety and security zone around Europe’s largest nuclear power facility. Grossi has participated in “intense consultations with Ukraine and Russia about establishing such a zone, but so far without an agreement,” according to the IAEA.

There have been periodic skirmishes at Zaporizhzhia since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February and seized the plant days later. Intense shelling near the site this summer prompted the IAEA to dispatch a team out of worry for a nuclear disaster.

Putin signed a decision in October federalizing the facility, which is 75 miles from the city in Russian-occupied territory along the Dnipro River. The decision raised concerns for the Ukrainian experts who have run the plant since Russian soldiers occupied it.

The explosions on Saturday and Sunday ended what the IAEA described as “a period of relative tranquillity.”

Also Read

IAEA chief settles last working reactor at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is in cold-shutdown mode

Cold shutdown of reactor number 6, the ultimate reactor at the Zaporizhzhia...