Ukraine Attack on Zaphorizhia Nuclear Power Plant Barley Misses Employees

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that on Friday, Ukrainian forces launched another attack on the Zaphorizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Europe’s largest nuclear facility. According to the report, a Ukrainian drone struck the facility, landing approximately 350–400 meters (1,150–1,310 feet) from the plant’s hydraulic structures, near where personnel were conducting maintenance.

The ZNPP's official Telegram channel confirmed the incident, stating:
"Today, while maintenance was underway on hydraulic structures at the ZNPP, the enemy carried out an attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The power units are situated approximately 350–400 meters from the site. A service vehicle present at the scene was damaged. Fortunately, personnel engaged in clearing a canal managed to take cover in time. As a result, no one was injured."

The ZNPP, located in the city of Enerhodar in the Zaphorizhia region, was seized by Russian forces in March 2022 during the early phase of Russia’s Special Military Operation. Prior to the conflict, the plant generated approximately 40% of Ukraine’s nuclear energy and about 25% of the country's total electricity supply.

Since the summer of 2022, the facility has come under repeated Ukrainian shelling. Despite independent monitors confirming that the projectiles originate from the north—territory held by Ukrainian forces—the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Ukraine’s Western backers have avoided condemning Kiev. In many Western media reports, Ukrainian claims that Russia is attacking the very facility it controls have been repeated without scrutiny.

In August 2022, Ukraine launched three separate assaults across the Dnieper River in attempts to retake the plant. The ZNPP was also reported to be a strategic objective during Ukraine’s failed summer offensive in 2023. At least 11 employees have been injured in various attacks since 2022.

Though the plant has been offline since September 2022, Russia has reportedly begun constructing infrastructure to connect the ZNPP to its own energy grid. Media outlets reported last month that new power lines and pylons were being installed between Mariupol and Berdyansk to link the plant to a substation in Mariupol, integrating it into the Russian national grid.

The plant has also become a point of contention in international diplomacy. In April, the Trump Administration proposed placing the ZNPP under U.S. administration as part of a peace plan submitted to Moscow. Russia rejected the proposal, reaffirming its stance that the ZNPP now belongs to the Russian Federation, as it is located in a region Russia considers to be part of its sovereign territory.