MOSCOW, August 10./TASS/. Attempts to attack the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) with drones continue, presenting a real threat to nuclear security, Renat Karchaa, adviser to the CEO of Russian nuclear power corporation Rosenergoatom, told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.
"The drone issue is not just an alarming theme; they (drones) are indeed numerous, reported on a daily basis in large amounts. They are being combatted, and this is indeed a real threat, including for nuclear security. <…> They pose a direct threat to the Zaporozhye NPP," Karchaa said.
He added that earlier attempts to attack both the nuclear power plant directly and the facilities outside its perimeter had been recorded. "The threat is quite real, we should not relax under any circumstances," Karchaa added.
On Wednesday, security agencies told TASS that Russian forces had intercepted a Ukrainian attack drone near Energodar that was flying toward the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power plant with the aim of possibly blowing up a nuclear fuel storage facility.
Located in the city of Energodar, the Zaporozhye NPP is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and has six power units with an aggregate capacity of 6 GW. Russian forces took control of the facility in February 2022. Since then, Ukrainian troops have been periodically shelling both Energodar’s residential quarters and the plant’s territory, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.