Ukraine and Russia have exchanged blame after a fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of deliberately starting the fire at the plant, which has been under Moscow’s control for over two years. In contrast, Zaporizhzhia’s Kremlin-appointed governor claimed the blaze was caused by Ukrainian shelling.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported seeing “strong dark smoke” rising from the facility but stated that there was “no impact reported” on nuclear safety.
The incident occurred as Ukrainian forces made significant advancements, penetrating up to 30km into Russian territory in the deepest incursion since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-appointed governor of Zaporizhzhia, confirmed a fire at the plant’s cooling towers and attributed it to Ukrainian shelling. However, he urged for calm, assuring that no radiation spikes had been detected.
President Zelensky also confirmed no radiation increase or nuclear leak risk but accused Russia of using the fire to “blackmail” Kyiv.
By early Monday, Vladimir Rogov, another Kremlin-backed official, announced on Telegram that the fire had been “completely extinguished.”
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been under Russian control since 2022, with all six reactors in cold shutdown since April and no power production for over two years.
The IAEA, in a statement on X, confirmed witnessing “strong dark smoke” after “multiple explosions” and noted that the plant reported an “alleged drone attack” on one of its cooling towers.
