The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has again called for an end to attacks on the southeastern Ukrainian town of Enerhodar, near the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, following recent drone strikes that knocked out two substations of the power distribution network. energy.

Moscow-appointed officials blamed Kiev for the attacks, which destroyed one of two substations supplying the city of Enerhodar and significantly damaged another, leaving residents without electricity.

IAEA chief Raphael Grossi said that while the operation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was not affected, attacks in the surrounding area must stop. Avoiding naming Ukraine as responsible, he said “whoever is responsible must be stopped.” “The use of drones (in attacks) against the plant and the surrounding area is becoming more and more frequent,” Grossi said in a statement published on the IAEA website. “It is absolutely unacceptable,” he underlines.

The power supply in the town of Enerhodar, a few kilometers away from the nuclear plant, had been cut for 16 hours, Grossi said. However, neither of the two attacks, which took place on Wednesday and Friday, affected the supply of electricity to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

The representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, emphasized that the attacks are indicative of the indifference shown by Kiev for the safety of nuclear facilities.

Russian troops occupied the nuclear plant from the very first days of the invasion, which began in February 2022. Since then Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for attacks in the area that raised fears of a nuclear disaster.