VIENNA, October 1. /TASS/. A landmine explosion damaged a power cable near the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement.
"Yesterday’s blast damaged a 6 kilovolt (kV) cable - which is used to provide power for some plant operations - close to a nitrogen-oxygen facility just outside the ZNPP perimeter fence. Due to a short-circuit of the cable, the explosion indirectly also damaged a voltage transformer at reactor unit 6. There was no fire, but smoke was visible," the statement reads.
Grossi reiterated his "deep concern about this week’s many landmine explosions close to the ZNPP, in an area that has also been hit by frequent shelling in recent months."
Grossi said on September 21 that he had held meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov, Ukrainian top diplomat Dmitry Kuleba and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the idea of creating a safety zone around the Zaporozhye NPP. The IAEA director general also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal and EU top diplomat Josep Borrell. In addition, Grossi said that the agency planned to expand its mission to the nuclear power plant in the near future.
The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, located in the city of Energodar, is controlled by Russian troops. An IAEA mission led by Grossi visited the facility in early September and two of its members remained at the site as observers. The IAEA later published a report calling for the creation of a safety zone around the plant to prevent accidents caused by military activities.