A fire erupted at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine, but the UN’s nuclear safety agency reported that there was no impact on nuclear safety.
On Sunday evening, observers noticed “strong dark smoke” coming from the northern section of the plant after explosions were heard, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on social media. The IAEA confirmed there was no reported effect on nuclear safety.
The incident has led to accusations between Ukraine and Russia. Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of Zaporizhzhia, claimed the fire started in the plant’s cooling system due to shelling by the Ukrainian military. He stated that the six reactors at the plant are in cold shutdown, posing no immediate danger.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered by alleging that Russian forces were responsible for the fire. He claimed the blaze was visible from the city of Nikopol, which is controlled by Ukraine and overlooks the plant.
Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the district military administration of Nikopol, indicated that the plant is operating as normally as possible given the occupation conditions.
Both Moscow and Kyiv are blaming each other for the fire at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been under Russian control since early in the conflict. Despite the fire, Ukrainian officials have urged residents to stay calm and reported no signs of increased radiation levels.
