IAEA chief urges stop to attack facility with nuclear material

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday condemned a drone strike in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, warning that such attacks are "playing with fire" and must never occur.

The IAEA said on social media platform X that it had received information from Ukraine regarding a drone attack on Sunday morning targeting the Central Spent Fuel Storage Facility located within the Chernobyl exclusion zone. According to IAEA experts on site, radiation levels at the facility remained within normal limits.

An IAEA inspection team assessed the impact of the strike and reported significant structural damage to part of the fuel reception building. The agency's safeguards office housed in the facility also sustained damage.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi described the attack as "extremely concerning," noting that it represented a close call for nuclear safety.

"Attacking a facility with large amounts of nuclear material is like playing with fire, and it must never happen," Grossi said.

Located about 110 km north of Kiev, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history on April 26, 1986. Following the accident, a 30-km area surrounding the plant was designated as the Exclusion Zone.