Seventeen Russian drones flew near South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in one week

Seventeen Russian drones have been detected near the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) over the past week, with some flying dangerously close to the facility. Source: Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Quote: "At the South Ukraine NPP, the IAEA team was informed that a total of 17 drones were detected earlier this week, some three kilometres from the site." 

Details: At the Khmelnytskyi NPP, IAEA team members were briefly forced to take shelter on the plant's premises on Tuesday, though this did not impact the facility itself.

Grossi also recalled that Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia NPP, has not been generating electricity for over two years. All six of its reactors remain in cold shutdown but still require external power to cool the reactors and ensure other critical nuclear safety functions. The situation at Zaporizhzhia remains unstable, as both functioning power lines are frequently disrupted.

Background: In September 2024, energy officials recorded more than 70 drones and over 30 Russian cruise missiles flying near Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

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