Russia, Ukraine Trade Blame for Fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for a fire that broke out at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on Sunday. The plant has been under Russian control since the first weeks of the war....
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Facts
- Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for a fire that broke out at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on Sunday. The plant has been under Russian control since the first weeks of the war.[1][2]
- In a post on social media, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: 'the occupiers have started a fire on the territory of the ZNPP. As of now the radiation level is normal. However, as long as Russian terrorists remain in control of the nuclear power plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal.'[3]
- Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of Ukraine's military administration in Nikopol, said: 'Unofficial reports obtained from sources on the opposite bank say that the Russians set fire to a large quantity of car tyres in the cooling tower. This may be a provocation or an attempt to cause panic in the settlements on the right bank of the former reservoir.'[3]
- In contrast, Rosatom, the state-backed Russian nuclear energy firm, said the ZNPP had been struck by two Ukrainian drones, adding that the attack sparked a fire inside one of the plant's cooling towers, which it said was extinguished later than night.[4]
- Meanwhile, in a statement from Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — the UN nuclear watchdog that has staff permanently stationed at the ZNPP — he said his experts 'witnessed thick dark smoke coming from the north-western area of the plant, after hearing multiple explosions throughout the evening.'[5][6]
- He added: 'The IAEA team reported hearing an explosion today at the same time the ZNPP informed them that a drone had allegedly struck one of the plant's two cooling towers.' The statement clarified that there is no threat to nuclear safety, as the cooling towers are only used during power generation and the plant is currently shutdown.[5]
Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Reuters, [3]Ukrainska Pravda, [4]TASS, [5]Iaea and [6]Associated Press.
Narratives
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Russia is responsible for the fire at the ZNPP. As long as Russia controls the ZNPP, it will continue to hold Ukraine and Europe hostage by threatening nuclear disaster. This was a provocation staged by Russia to remind them of that.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. A fire broke out at one of the ZNPP's cooling towers after Ukraine targeted the site with drones. While the fire was put out, it caused severe damage to the interior of the cooling tower and could have resulted in a much more catastrophic incident.
