Ukraine and Russia trade blame after the fire broke out in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, in Ukraine on Sunday, August 11.
According to Reuters, the nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that its staff saw dark smoke in the northern part of the six-rector Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Ukraine after multiple blasts.
Zaporizhzhia is currently in a ‘cold shutdown’ state.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, without blaming anyone, warned in a statement, “These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now.”
Moreover, the head of the nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that the fire burned for about three hours and caused ‘very serious damage’ to the cooling tower.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian forces for setting fire to the plant. He asserted, “Currently, the radiation indicators are normal. But as long as Russian terrorists retain control over the nuclear plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin-installed governor of Zaporizhzhia accused Ukrainian shelling for the blaze.
To note, the UN watchdog IAEA does not criticise any country for the incident.
