nuclear-news

Europe’s largest nuclear plant attacked as one dead and chilling warning issued

Mirror 29th Oct 2026, Eliana Nunes, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-ukraine-37825011

A drone attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – has left one person dead

An employee at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was killed in a drone attack on Thursday, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced. “The victim was reportedly a welder at the plant’s centralized repair workshop,” the IAEA added.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said any attack on nuclear plant staff is “completely unacceptable” and violates the seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict.

Mr Grossi also called for “maximum military restraint to help prevent the risk of a nuclear accident during the conflict”.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, along with most of the Zaporizhzhia region, has been under Russian control since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

It has been a focus of concern for the IAEA throughout the war due to fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe as it lies close to the frontline. All six reactors have been shut down since 2022.

Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of attacking the plant and risking a serious nuclear accident. Last Wednesday, a driver at the power plant was killed following two days of Ukrainian drone attacks.

The plant’s managers said in a Telegram post that buses carrying staff to and from the plant had come under attack for two days in a row.

“The second straight day of attacks on the station’s transport shows that these strikes are deliberate,” the statement said.

It added that the attacks posed a “direct threat” to the staff responsible for keeping the plant operational.

In July, the plant’s chief engineer and his driver were killed in what Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, described as a Ukrainian drone attack.

The city of Enerhodar, where most of the plant’s staff live, has also been targeted in strikes on multiple occasions.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-ukraine-37825011

November 2, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Ukraine, weapons and war