STORY: :: Volodymyr Zelenskiy via Telegram
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, this video of smoke rising from a nuclear cooling tower shows a fire at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
:: Press Service of the Russian National Guard
He claimed on Sunday, without evidence, that the attack was carried out by Russian forces, who now occupy the power plant, as seen here in a video released by the Russian National Guard.
Both sides accuse the other of setting fire to the site of the power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
The Russian state news agency RIA said the fire was caused by a drone attack, but also provided no evidence of this.
However, both sides also say that there is no evidence of increased radiation.
The shelling came less than a week after Ukrainian forces launched their largest incursion into Russian territory since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
The power plant’s six reactors are located near the war front in Ukraine.
They are not in operation, but the plant relies on external energy to keep its nuclear material cool and avoid a disaster.
The United Nations nuclear regulator, the IAEA, which has a presence at the plant, confirmed that its experts saw thick, dark smoke rising from the northern area of the plant.
:: File
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said his agency had requested “immediate access” to the cooling tower to assess the damage.
There was no immediate reaction to his statement from Moscow and Kiev.
