Photo Credit: AP

Ukraine on Sunday rejected Russian claims that it had carried out a drone strike on the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, as both sides accused each other after fresh attacks amid the ongoing war.The denial came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said a drone attacked the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, citing information from the facility’s Russian-established operator. On Saturday, a drone hit the turbine building, “reportedly leaving a hole in its wall”, according to the operator.Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhia, was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of the 2022 invasion and remains near the front line in southern Ukraine.Russia’s government nuclear energy company Rosatom has accused Ukraine of deliberately attacking. Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said, “This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone attacked the turbine hall building of power unit No. 6, resulting in an explosion.” He said the main equipment of the plant was not damaged.Kyiv immediately denied the allegation, with Ukraine’s military calling it “another propaganda ploy”. It said it neither attacked nor targeted the facility and stressed that it understood “the consequences of any action targeting nuclear facilities” and adhered to international humanitarian law.“In the relevant part of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used,” the army said.Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also rejected the allegation, saying it lacked “logic”.“It is not clear why Ukraine would attack its own nuclear power plant located on its own territory, which it itself wants to acquire under its sovereign control,” the ministry said.IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi expressed “grave concern” over the reported attack and reiterated the need to protect nuclear facilities during conflict.“There should be no attacks of any kind on behalf of or against the plant,” Grossi said. “Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire,” he said.Ukraine’s state nuclear supervisory agency said the reported damage should be independently verified by IAEA experts deployed to the plant as part of the agency’s long-term monitoring mission.The Zaporizhia facility has remained a focal point of concern throughout the war, with both Moscow and Kiev repeatedly accusing each other of attacks around the site, raising fears of a possible nuclear accident.The incident came as Ukraine and Russia reported fresh attacks overnight.Russian officials said drone debris caused a fire at a fuel storage facility in the Rostov region, forcing nearby residents to evacuate. Damage to civilian infrastructure was also reported in the Saratov region. Independent Russian outlet Astra reported that a fire broke out at an oil refinery in the regional capital, according to the AP.Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 212 of the 299 drones launched by Russia overnight. It said 14 drones reached their targets, while debris fell at five locations.Russian drone strikes also hit the city of Dnipro and an oil refinery in Ukraine’s Rivne region, causing fires. Rivne regional governor Oleksandr Koval said no injuries were reported at the refinery.