Nuclear accident risk at a Ukraine plant, according to IAEA Chief.

In the face of ongoing attacks, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog issued a dire warning on Monday regarding the Zaporizhzhia power facility in Ukraine.

In the worst incident since November 2022, drones attacked Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, on Sunday, striking a reactor building.

"We cannot allow complacency to dictate what occurs tomorrow," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi stated before the UN Security Council.

Even though the reactors are off, there is still a chance of a serious disaster, he warned.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station has been in Russian hands.

Due to shelling, the facility has not been open since that same year. Drone attacks against the facility began on April 7.

Russia and Ukraine have both accused the other of carrying out the attacks.

Mr. Grossi declared, "These careless attacks must end immediately."

"At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where nuclear safety is already compromised, they significantly increase the risk, even though fortunately they have not resulted in a radiological incident this time."

Zaporizhzhia is one of five Ukrainian nuclear centres where the IAEA has people to monitor safety and security under the Russian occupation. This allows the agency to conduct investigations and provide reports on happenings.

Due to the fact that the reactor confinement structure was struck, Mr. Grossi stated that the incident "sets a very dangerous precedent."

Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's UN envoy, said the council that Moscow has never attacked a nuclear power station with heavy weaponry or from its territory.

In the meantime, he claimed, Russia has been alerting the IAEA of Ukraine's stepped-up attacks on the plant in recent months.

Mr. Nebenzya stressed that this is a nuclear security concern rather than a political one and urged the UN nuclear agency to identify the origin of the plant attacks.