Fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant extinguished, no radiation threat

The main fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been extinguished, Russian news agency TASS reported late Sunday night, citing Russia's nuclear energy agency, Rosatom, according to Reuters. Russian forces have occupied the power plant for two years.

The Ukrainian energy company Energoatom wrote on Telegram that one of the cooling towers and some other equipment at the plant were damaged.

This was confirmed by Rosatom, as cited by TASS. According to the Russian occupation authorities, the cooling tower was out of service and there is no threat of radioactive contamination for the residents of the city of Enerhodar, near which the plant is located. The agency also reported that the fire was extinguished.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Telegram that "the Russians caused a fire in the cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant" and that since they took control of it, they have been "using it for nuclear blackmail."

"Russian occupiers set a large number of tires on fire in the cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This is an attempt to sow panic," reassured Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the Nikopol district administration. A representative of the Ukrainian authorities warned of a possible provocation or attempt to spread panic in towns on the right bank of the former reservoir. Yevtushenko emphasized that "the plant is operating normally, as much as possible under occupational conditions." "The radiation levels are normal. Please remain calm," he appealed.

On the other hand, the Russians maintain that "the plant was attacked by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone."

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been occupied by Russia since early March 2022. Since then, Russian forces have repeatedly shelled the plant's area, creating, in the opinion of the authorities in Kyiv, a radiation hazard with unpredictable consequences.