Attacks over the weekend on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine have raised the level of concern over the safety of the facility to an even higher level, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog told his agency's board of governors on April 11 in Vienna.
The most recent attacks "have shifted us into an acutely consequential juncture in this war," Rafael Grossi said in a statement issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Grossi added that he wanted "to ensure these reckless attacks do not mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front," according to the statement as prepared for delivery at the opening of an emergency board meeting called by Russia and Ukraine.
Grossi issued a stark warning on April 8, a day after the plant in southern Ukraine -- Europe's largest -- was struck by drones. He said an IAEA team of experts located at the plant "confirmed that at least three direct hits” against the plant's main reactor containment structures had taken place.
Grossi said on April 11 that those attacks "marked a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers in Ukraine, significantly increasing the risk of a nuclear accident."
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The plant has been controlled by Russian forces since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Grossi also appealed to military decision makers to abstain from any action violating the IAEA's principles to prevent a nuclear accident and he urged the international community to work toward a de-escalation of what is "a very serious situation."
Detailing the three direct hits that occurred on April 7, Grossi said one of the strikes hit the reactor dome of Unit 6. The damage it caused had not compromised nuclear safety, he said. But strikes on the plant's primary containment structure represent "a step-change increase in risk to nuclear safety."
The other two attacks were in close proximity to the main reactor buildings and resulted in at least one casualty, he said.
A further drone attack and bursts of rifle fire were reported on April 9, Grossi added, saying this was "an ominous indication of an apparent readiness to continue these attacks, despite the grave dangers they pose to nuclear safety and security," and repeated his call for the strikes to end.