Russian Demining Personnel Injured in Attack, IAEA Calls for Adherence to Local Ceasefire
On June 5, Xinhua News Agency reported from Vienna (Reporter Meng Fanyu) that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that on the day the partial ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant took effect, Russian military personnel were injured while carrying out demining operations. IAEA Director General Grossi called on all parties to exercise maximum military restraint.
The IAEA posted on social media that the incident involving the injury of Russian personnel is under investigation, while the Ukrainian side stated that it would adhere to the ceasefire agreement.
The agency said that this serious incident occurred during the demining phase of the partial ceasefire agreement. Grossi urged all parties to fully comply with the ceasefire agreement to ensure that the power transmission lines of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant can be repaired in the coming days, which is crucial to avoid a nuclear accident.
Earlier that day, the IAEA announced that under its mediation, the partial ceasefire agreement near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had taken effect, and technicians would first carry out demining before repairing a 750 kV main transmission line. Grossi emphasized that this line has been interrupted for over two months, and its repair is "urgent and necessary."
Alexey Likhachev, CEO of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, stated that after the partial ceasefire took effect, the Ukrainian armed forces launched two drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in injuries to three Russian engineers who were repairing the plant and five Russian military sappers who were conducting demining operations.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe and has been under Russian control since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022. Since then, the plant has been subjected to multiple shelling and drone attacks, raising concerns in the international community about its safety.
On June 5, 2023, Russian military personnel were injured during demining operations near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEA reported the incident and urged all parties to adhere to the ceasefire agreement. Following the ceasefire, Ukrainian forces launched drone attacks, injuring three Russian engineers and five sappers involved in repairs and demining efforts.
- Russian military personnel were injured during demining operations near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
- The IAEA called for maximum military restraint following the incident.
- Ukrainian forces conducted drone attacks on the power plant after the ceasefire agreement was established.
- The incident occurred on the same day the ceasefire agreement took effect.