Trade of blame between Kiev and Moscow ensued on Sunday after a fire occurred at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’s cooling tower, which is under control of Russian forces.
According to Ukraine, Russia and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), no rise in radiation has been detected or any effect on nuclear safety.
Moscow-backed official Vladimir Rogov said in a post on Telegram last Monday that the fire at a cooling tower had been “extinguished completely.”
He and Yevgeny Balitsky who is Moscow-appointed governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region blamed “Ukrainian armed forces” for it.
On his social media page, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that “Russian occupiers have started a fire” at the plant, adding that they tried to “blackmail” Kyiv.
“Currently radiation levels are within the norm,” he continued. The “radiation background” around the facility was also reported as normal by Balitsky and the facility’s press service.
“There has been no impact regarding nuclear safety,” mentioned the IAEA whose specialists are based at this station.
In an evening post on X social media platform, UN agency stated: “IAEA experts witnessed strong dark smoke coming from ZNPP’s northern area following multiple explosions heard.”
It said that there has been an “alleged drone attack today on one of the cooling towers” as informed by the plant.
IAEA wants access
Following this up later, IAEA declared that it had asked its team to be given ‘immediate access to assess damage’ (at) ‘cool down tower’.
Kyiv accuses Russia over intentional beginning of fire.
“Russia must be held accountable for this. Only Ukrainian control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant can guarantee a return to normalcy and complete safety,” said Zelensky.
Kyiv’s interior minister said Kyiv had “intensely monitored” radiation levels at the nearby meteorological stations.
After the incident, according to the plant press service, all six of its reactors are currently in cold shutdown state.
“There is no threat of a steam explosion or any other consequences,” Balitsky said.
Zelensky’s video showed black smoke billowing out of one of the station’s cooling towers and red flames licking along the bottom.
Days after it launched a full-scale military onslaught in February 2022, Russia took control of the plant.
The site sits on an eastern bank of the Dnipro river — a de facto front line that snakes through southern Ukraine.
Ukraine controls the opposite bank and Russia has repeatedly accused its forces of deliberately shelling the nuclear power station—claims denied by Ukraine.
As a reaction Kyiv accuses Moscow in militarization of this facility since the beginning of hostilities, including deployment heavy weapons there.
The IAEA has repeatedly urged restraint amid concerns that reckless military action could set off a major nuclear incident at this plant.
