VIENNA, September 30. /TASS/. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said two landmines had exploded on Thursday near a fence around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), causing no damage to the station or related infrastructure.

This brings the overall number of blasts, registered this week, to five, the global organization said.

"One occurred yesterday afternoon in the area of a channel transporting water to the plant for its cooling system, which is essential for nuclear safety. It did not cause any damage. The second explosion took place at 1pm today some 500 meters from reactor unit 1. There was no major damage, but further investigations will be conducted," the IAEA said in a statement.

The organization believes that the two blasts were caused by animals, just like the previous three landmine explosions reported by the IAEA earlier this week.

The Zaporozhye NPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, is located in the city of Energodar. Russian forces took control of the plant in March 2022. Since then, Ukrainian troops occasionally shell Energodar’s residential neighborhoods and the power plant itself, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.

In early September, an IAEA mission led by Director General Rafael Grossi visited the station. Later, the Agency published a report calling for the establishment of a protection zone around the power plant in order to prevent a nuclear disaster caused by the ongoing hostilities.