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Both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of igniting a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest and now under Russian control.
Both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of igniting a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest and now under Russian control. Despite reports of smoke and explosions from the site, both sides have noted no signs of elevated radiation.
The UN’s IAEA, which monitors the plant, observed significant smoke but confirmed that the main fire was extinguished just before midnight, according to Russian state news agencies TASS and RIA.
The fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occurred less than a week after Ukraine’s forces launched their largest incursion into Russian territory since the 2022 invasion, marking a new phase in the conflict.
Ukrainian Energoatom reported damage to a cooling tower and other equipment, while Russia’s TASS agency, citing Rosatom, confirmed damage to a non-functioning cooling tower. Russia took control of the plant early in the invasion, and all six reactors are currently in cold shutdown.
By early Monday, the cause of the fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which began around 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Sunday, remained unclear. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy blamed Russia for igniting the blaze, claiming it was visible from the Kyiv-held city of Nikopol.
In response, Evgeny Balitsky, a Russian-installed official, accused Ukrainian forces of starting the fire through shelling near Enerhodar. The IAEA reported that there has been no impact on nuclear safety at the site. The IAEA reported on X that the team was informed of a possible drone attack on one of the cooling towers at the nuclear plant.
