Series of drone attacks disrupt power supply near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, IAEA says
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The Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP), whose switchyard helps supply electricity to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), was targeted in a series of drone attacks in recent weeks, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X on Oct. 3.
The ZTPP and the ZNPP have been occupied by Russia since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
The IAEA did not specify in its statement who carried out the attacks, only saying that they occurred on Sept. 19, 20, and 27. The strikes damaged transformers considered vital for maintaining the ZNPP's off-site power supply.
To enable repairs at the ZTPP, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is negotiating a new localized ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, hoping to put it into effect soon.
It would be the eighth IAEA-brokered ceasefire aimed at securing the ZNPP's off-site power supply. The facility has faced repeated external power outages since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
An attack on Sept. 22 reportedly disabled an off-site radiation monitoring station, reducing the ZNPP's ability to monitor nearby radiation levels, the IAEA said.
Other attacks hit buildings in the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, where many ZNPP staff live, reportedly killing one person.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is Europe's largest nuclear power plant and among the 10 largest in the world. Ukraine has repeatedly warned that Russia's occupation of the plant poses one of the greatest threats to nuclear safety — not just in Ukraine, but worldwide.
The IAEA warned in May 2026 that increased drone activity near the ZNPP intensified the risk of a nuclear accident at the site.
In August, the agency also reported that a drone exploded at a bus stop used by ZNPP staff, killing one person and injuring 15 others.
