A Russian drone strike on the Central Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF) near the Chornobyl NPP on Sunday morning caused significant structural damage to part of the fuel reception building, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards office located there. This was reported in a statement by the agency, UNN informs.
Details
It is noted that a team of IAEA experts inspected the aftermath of the strike and observed damage to the facade, walls, and stairs of the building, as well as shards of broken glass, broken bricks, and other debris scattered on the ground. They confirmed that radiation levels at the site remained normal, indicating that the incident did not cause radioactive contamination.
They were also informed that spent fuel was stored in containers several hundred meters away from the damaged building at the time of the attack, while others closer to it were empty. It remains unclear when the facility will be able to resume receiving spent fuel from Ukraine's operating nuclear power plants
According to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, this was an extremely disturbing incident and a dangerous occurrence in terms of nuclear safety.
"An attack on a facility with a large amount of nuclear material is like playing with fire, and this should never have happened," Grossi said, adding that the IAEA will continue to investigate the incident.
Recall
On the night of June 7, the enemy attacked the CSFSF site with a drone, partially destroying the container reception building. As reported by Energoatom, the radiation situation remains within normal limits.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine called this incident an act of nuclear terrorism.