A fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine on Sunday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleging that Russian forces were responsible for the blaze. Zelensky claimed that the fire was a deliberate attempt by Russia to “blackmail” Ukraine and the international community.
The Ukrainian president took to social media to express his concerns, stating that radiation levels at the plant were currently within normal limits, but that the situation was far from normal as long as Russia maintained control over the facility. Zelensky emphasized that only Ukrainian control over the plant could guarantee a return to normalcy and complete safety.
According to Yevhen Yevtushenko, the head of the Ukrainian-controlled military administration in the Nikopol district, unofficial information suggested that Russia started the fire by setting car tires ablaze in the cooling towers. Yevtushenko described the incident as a “provocation” or an attempt to create panic, and assured that the plant was operating as normally as possible under the circumstances of occupation.
However, Russia denied any involvement in the fire, with Yevgeniy Balitsky, the Russian-appointed official in control of occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, accusing Ukrainian forces of shelling the city of Enerhodar, which led to the fire. Balitsky maintained that there was no radiation threat to the nuclear plant or the city of Enerhodar.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that its experts witnessed strong dark smoke coming from the plant’s northern side following multiple explosions heard in the evening. The organization was informed by the plant’s management of an alleged drone attack on one of the cooling towers, but no impact on nuclear safety was reported.
The incident occurred as Ukraine’s war with Russia entered a new phase, with Zelensky confirming on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had launched a surprise counteroffensive into Russian territory.
