Fire breaks out at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site in occupied Ukraine. Russia claims it will not affect safety

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Russian troops set fire to the occupied area of ​​the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. According to him, this can be seen from the territory controlled by Kiev.

He noted that radiation levels remained normal. The plant’s Russian management claimed the fire had no impact on safety, Reuters reported.

Zelensky added a video to his post in which thick black smoke could be seen billowing from a power plant tower.

Reuters quoted a Ukrainian official in the city of Nikopol, from where the power plant can be seen, as saying that according to unofficial information, the Russians set fire to a large number of car tires in one of the cooling towers.

Russian personnel reported that the fire started near the cooling tower and firefighters were working to put it out.

There have been concerns about the plant’s security since Russian troops seized it shortly after invading Ukraine in 2022. The plant, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, is close to the front line, and Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the plant in the past.

Although six reactors are shut down, the facility still needs electricity and skilled personnel to operate critical systems, such as cooling the reactors.