Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that Russian forces had started a fire at the site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Zelensky noted that the fire was visible from areas controlled by Kyiv, but confirmed that radiation levels remained normal.
In a statement posted on the Telegram app, Zelensky reassured about the current radiation indicators at the power plant. According to unofficial reports from a local official in Nikopol, a town that overlooks the plant, the fire was allegedly caused by burning car tires in the power plant’s cooling towers. The official advised residents to remain calm during the incident.
The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, has been under Russian control since March 2022. The plant’s proximity to the front lines has heightened nuclear safety concerns during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has struggled to gain access to the site due to the conflict, leading to calls for Russia to allow full inspections.
In a similar announcement on July 19, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko reported that around 5,000 workers had been evacuated from the power plant. These workers belonged to the Ukrainian nuclear energy agency Energoatom.
Since February 2024, Russian forces have denied access to the plant to the remaining personnel, Halushchenko said. These personnel are to help complete the construction of additional reactor units at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. The plant is being developed using US technology designed to mitigate power outages in the event of further Russian attacks.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on July 11 calling for Russia to withdraw from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and for Ukraine to restore full control. The resolution also criticized Russia for failing to comply with safety protocols established by the IAEA and called on Moscow to grant the agency full access to the plant.
