The agency said the plant's director informed its on-site team, described the incident as the worst the facility has faced, and condemned the attack. Further strikes occurred inside the industrial complex, but no direct damage to nuclear safety or security systems has been reported.

Zaporizhzhia is Europe's largest nuclear power station, with six reactors. All have been kept shut down or in cold shutdown since 2022 amid the contest over control of the site. Cooling of spent fuel and maintenance of instrumentation still require external power and staff.

Staff safety is a precondition of nuclear safety. If shift workers cannot reach the site, monitoring of cooling systems and scheduled inspections are disrupted, raising risk even without equipment damage. That is why the agency emphasised an attack on a commuting route.

The IAEA said its team had widened its observation and was verifying further information. It did not assign responsibility.

Talks on plant safety have been attempted several times without producing a binding arrangement. Whether this incident restarts them is not yet clear.