Russia set fire to nuclear plant to ‘blackmail’ the world, Zelensky says

Kyiv: Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of Europe’s largest and now Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Both sides reported no sign of elevated radiation.

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, which has a presence at the vast six-reactor facility, said its experts had seen strong, dark smoke coming from the northern area of the plant in southern Ukraine following multiple explosions.

An image provided by the Ukrainian presidential press office showing smoke rising from a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.Credit: AP

“These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a separate statement, without attributing blame for the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had started the fire to “blackmail” Kyiv after his country’s forces launched their largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began in 2022. The Ukrainian offensive was a surprise move that has brought the conflict into a new phase, after weeks of Moscow’s battlefield gains.

“Currently, radiation levels are within norm. However, as long as the Russian terrorists maintain control over the nuclear plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal,” Zelensky wrote on X.

“Since the first day of its seizure, Russia has been using the Zaporizhzhia [nuclear power plant] only to blackmail Ukraine, all of Europe, and the world.”

Yevhen Balytskyi, the Russia-appointed governor of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant and causing the fire. He provided no evidence for the claim.

Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA cited the country’s nuclear energy company Rosatom as saying the main fire had been extinguished shortly before midnight on Sunday. RIA, citing Rosatom, said a drone attack had started the fire at the cooling tower, without providing evidence.

Ukraine’s nuclear power company Energoatom said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that one of the cooling towers and other equipment had been damaged.

Grossi said the agency requested “immediate access” to the cooling tower to assess the damage. There was no immediate response from Moscow or Kyiv to Grossi’s statement.

A column of Russian army trucks damaged by shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces on a highway in the Kursk region of Russia.Credit: AP

Russia captured the plant from Ukraine shortly after launching its full-scale invasion on its smaller neighbour in 2022, an attack described by Moscow as a “special operation”. The plant’s six nuclear reactors are in cold shutdown.

Ukraine’s incursion into Russia continued for a sixth day on Sunday. It is the largest such attack since Moscow launched its invasion on February 24, 2022. It is unprecedented for its use of Ukrainian military units on Russian soil. Ukraine’s raid into Russia caught Moscow unaware and was an embarrassment to Russian military leaders who have scrambled to contain the breach.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that its forces had engaged Ukrainian troops in Tolpino, Zhuravli and Obshchy Kolodez, Tass reported. Tolpino is 25 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

Evacuation of civilians living in Russia’s border areas with Ukraine continues. Russian state television aired footage of evacuees at a tent camp in the city of Kursk. According to the report by RTR, more than 20 temporary accommodation centres have been set up in the region.

The exact aims of the operation remain unclear, and Ukrainian military officials have adopted a policy of secrecy, presumably to ensure its success. Military experts have said that it is probably intended to draw Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, while a presidential adviser suggested it might strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any future negotiations with Russia.

Reuters, AP

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