A drone targeted an external radiation control laboratory at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Tuesday.

The IAEA, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, confirmed the strike occurred at the facility's external radiation monitoring laboratory. The agency has maintained a presence at the plant since September 2022 to monitor nuclear safety conditions.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian control since March 2022, shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. The plant's six reactors have been in cold shutdown since September 2022, but the facility still requires constant monitoring and maintenance for safety.

The IAEA did not immediately specify the extent of damage to the laboratory or identify who was responsible for the drone attack. The agency has repeatedly expressed concerns about military activities near the nuclear facility, warning that such actions pose risks to nuclear safety.

The plant has been the site of numerous incidents since the start of the conflict, including damage to power lines and other infrastructure critical to maintaining safe conditions at the nuclear facility. The IAEA has called for the establishment of a protection zone around the plant to prevent military activities that could compromise nuclear safety.