«The situation is unstable»: IAEA reports shooting near Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian soldiers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Photo: Reuters

On 23 April, IAEA experts working at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant heard loud gunshots near the main administrative building where their office is located.

This is stated in an official statement by the press service of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

According to the mission, shooting and explosions have been recorded almost daily over the past week at different distances from the plant.

«What once seemed almost unthinkable — evidence of hostilities near a large nuclear facility — has become an almost daily occurrence and a familiar part of life at Europe's largest nuclear power plant. From the point of view of nuclear safety, this is certainly an unstable situation,» said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

It is noted that despite the danger, the IAEA experts continue their work on the territory of ZNPP — they monitor, check security systems and assess the level of security of the facility.

As a reminder, on the night of 9 April, eight drones were spotted just four kilometres from the South Ukraine NPP.