IAEA Monitors Demining to Restore Zaporizhzhia Power Line as Drone Attacks Escalate

Overview

• The IAEA said its team is on site to monitor mine-clearing that will allow urgent repairs to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant's 750 kV Dniprovska power line under a temporary localized ceasefire brokered by the agency.
• The Dniprovska line has been out of service since 24 March 2026 and the plant's single remaining 330 kV backup has been disconnected multiple times, leaving reactors dependent on emergency diesel generators for cooling power.
• IAEA teams reported rising military activity around multiple Ukrainian nuclear sites, including detection of more than 100 drones, a drone strike that damaged ZNPP Unit 6's turbine hall on 30 May, and a strike that heavily damaged the Chornobyl spent fuel reception building without raising radiation readings.
• At the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, 47 countries and the EU condemned the attack on Chornobyl's storage facility and the agency said it will continue to deliver dosimeters, contamination monitors and protective masks funded by the EU, Japan and the UK.
• Off-site power is vital because it runs reactor cooling and safety systems; repeated outages increase the chance of generator failure, could complicate spent-fuel handling and evacuation plans, and mean the coming days of repair work and any renewed fighting are the next critical risks to watch.