NewsWorld newsRussiaRussia's state nuclear energy company said a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Saturday afternoon16:28, 30 May 2026Updated 16:51, 30 May 2026Russia has blamed Ukraine after a drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.‌Alexei Likhachev, chief of Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom, said a Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit the turbine hall of Unit 6 at the plant on Saturday afternoon. He claimed it was fibre-optically guided, ruling out an accidental strike, according to state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.‌The explosion caused a hole in the turbine hall wall, but no damage was reported to the main equipment, the agency added.‌The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - the largest in Europe with six reactors and one of the world’s 10 biggest - has been under Russian control since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.It has been a focus of concern for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) throughout the war amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe, as it lies close to the front line in Ukraine’s south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region.‌Greenpeace said in a report on Tuesday that satellite photos showed Russia had been building "an electricity high voltage power line" in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine's Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions."This is some of the first hard evidence of Russian moving ahead with its dangerous and illegal plans for restarting Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia," said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine.However, when asked about the report, an IAEA official said inspectors had not seen any major changes at the plant suggesting Russia was preparing to restart it.‌"What I can say is our teams continue to confirm there is no indication at the moment that there will be any active preparations for a restart of the plant now," the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Russia has not acknowledged the reported power line project. Ukraine sent a note to the IAEA and its member states on Wednesday raising concerns about the construction."These actions represent a blatant violation of international law and an infringement on Ukraine’s sovereignty," Kyiv said in its letter.Article continues below"The construction of this transmission line is a clear indication of the Russian Federation’s intent to initiate an unauthorised restart of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant - a facility that remains the sovereign property of Ukraine."It added: "Any operation of the [plant] without explicit authorisation of the Ukrainian nuclear regulator is illegal and poses a direct and unacceptable threat to nuclear safety."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌RussiaUkraine