IAEA Expresses Concern: Nuclear Material Discovered in Syria and Drone Attack on the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant

The security of nuclear materials and nuclear facilities rests on two central pillars of the international order: the prevention of accidents (nuclear safety) and protection against theft and misuse (nuclear security). Since radioactive incidents do not stop at national borders, the global security architecture is based on treaties under international law, strict inspections, and constant monitoring by the United Nations.

Armed conflicts represent the most severe stress scenario for nuclear power plants. While modern reactors are designed to withstand external impacts such as earthquakes or plane crashes, active warfare renders fundamental safety concepts ineffective.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi defined five specific principles for nuclear power plants in conflict zones. No shelling of or from the facility, no use as a weapons depot, ensuring an external power supply, protecting all essential supply lines, and preventing acts of sabotage.

Even after shutdown, a reactor requires a continuous supply of electricity to maintain cooling of the fuel assemblies. If the external power grid fails permanently and the emergency generators malfunction, a meltdown is imminent—even if the reactor pressure vessel remains intact. The safety of a facility depends entirely on the people on site. If operating personnel come under fire, experience stress, or are unable to rotate shifts, the risk of human error increases dramatically.

Syria: “Several metric tons” of undeclared nuclear material discovered

During inspection visits to Syria, IAEA staff unexpectedly discovered several metric tons of nuclear material at a previously unguarded site. As IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced in Damascus, the inspection took place on the IAEA’s own initiative and at the invitation of the new Syrian interim government under President Ahmed al-Scharaa.

Syrian Interim Foreign Minister Assad al-Schaibani emphasized that this was a “legacy of the former regime” of Bashar al-Assad. The material could have been misused and remained undetected for years. The collection of samples and the initial on-site review have now been completed, placing the material under the IAEA’s official safeguards.

Officially, Syria has never had a civilian or military nuclear program. However, as early as 2007, the Israeli Air Force destroyed a nuclear reactor believed to be under construction in the eastern Syrian region of Deir ez-Zor (al-Kibar). The IAEA later also classified the facility as a reactor very likely intended for military use, which may have been built with North Korean support.

Ukraine: Deadly Drone Attack Near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

In the early morning of August 18, a severe drone explosion occurred at a bus stop for employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the South American-Eastern European conflict zone. The attack, which occurred around 6:00 a.m., killed at least one person and injured up to 17 others, according to ORF.

The plant manager, appointed by the Russian occupying forces, described the explosion as the most serious incident to date that has directly affected the power plant’s staff. Moscow accused the Ukrainian military of carrying out a targeted attack. IAEA Director General Grossi urgently called on the military commanders responsible to immediately cease attacks on nuclear facilities and their personnel, as these pose an immense threat to nuclear safety.

Ongoing Power and Emergency Cooling Problems at the Nuclear Power Plant

The incident is the latest in a series of critical safety breaches at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. On August 8, the plant lost connection to the external power grid (Loss of Off-site Power, LOOP) for the 25th time since the war began. All emergency diesel generators had to be activated to maintain cooling functions. The main power line (750 kV Dniprovska) has been severely damaged since March. The plant is currently connected to only a single 330-kV backup line (Ferosplavna-1).

Due to the constant risk of power outages and difficulties in fuel deliveries for the diesel generators, the plant has raised the water levels in the spent fuel pools of all six reactors to buy more time before the water boils in the event of a total power failure.

The IAEA also reports air raid alerts almost daily at other Ukrainian nuclear facilities, such as the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant and Chornobyl, and has observed unmanned drones in the exclusion zones on multiple occasions.

IAEA