IAEA to hold meeting over drone strikes on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Reuters

Photo: The IAEA will meet to discuss the drone strikes on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (Getty Images)

An extraordinary meeting of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, consisting of 35 countries, will take place on April 9. The topic of discussion will be drone strikes on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant seized by Russia, according to Reuters.

According to agency sources, the meeting was initiated by Russia.

The IAEA has not yet announced the date of the meeting. The rules of the Board of Governors indicate that any participating country, including Russia, can call a meeting.

The Board is the highest governing body of the IAEA, which meets more than once a year.

According to Reuters, Russia is likely to again blame Ukraine for the recent drone strikes on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but it is unlikely to receive broad support from the Board of Governors. Last month, the Board passed a resolution calling on Russia to leave the nuclear power plant.

Drone strikes

Drones attacked Europe's largest nuclear power plant on April 7, hitting one reactor building, the IAEA said, adding that nuclear safety was not affected. The IAEA did not assign blame for the attacks but demanded that they stop.

"Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately," said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

Energoatom said that Russia is manipulating the opinion of the IAEA and the international community, trying to accuse Ukraine of violating nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.