MOSCOW: Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said on Saturday a Ukrainian drone had struck the Rus­sian-controlled Zapori­­zhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, causing no damage to key equipment, but leaving a hole in the wall of a turbine hall.

“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation,” Rosatom’s head Alexei Likhachev said in a statement.

“The explosion caused no damage to the primary equipment; however, it tore a hole in the turbine hall wall.” There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Likhachev called the incident “deliberate”.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia in March 2022 and remains close to the frontline in the southeastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region. It has occasionally come under fire during the four-year-long war, raising fears of a nuclear accident at the facility.

“We are one step closer to an incident that will most likely affect even those who live far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine and still think they are completely safe,” Likhachev said.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2026