A hearth broke out in a cooling tower on the Zaporizhia nuclear energy plant in southern Ukraine, which is beneath the management of Russian forces, on August 11, 2024, a Moscow-based official stated. File | Picture credit score: AFP
A hearth broke out in a cooling tower on the Zaporizhia nuclear energy plant in southern Ukraine on Sunday, with kyiv and Moscow every blaming one another for the incident.
Each side stated no improve in radiation ranges had been detected across the energy plant, which has been beneath the management of Russian forces for the reason that early days of their large-scale navy offensive.
“Because of shelling of town of Energodar by the Ukrainian armed forces, a hearth broke out within the cooling system of the Zaporizhia nuclear energy plant,” Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia area, reported on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a social media publish that “Russian occupiers have began a hearth” on the plant.
“At present, radiation ranges are inside regular limits,” he added.
Mr Balitsky additionally reported that the “radiation background” across the facility was regular.
Ukraine’s inside minister stated they had been “intensively monitoring” the state of affairs from climate stations close to the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear energy station.
At present, all six of its models are in chilly storage, Balitsky stated.
“There is no such thing as a hazard of a steam explosion or another penalties,” he stated, including that firefighters had been on the scene battling the blaze.
A video posted by Zelenskyy confirmed black smoke billowing from one of many station’s cooling towers as purple flames licked on the underside.
The location is situated on the jap financial institution of the Dnieper River, a de facto entrance line that snakes by way of southern Ukraine.
Ukraine controls the other shore and Russia has repeatedly accused its forces of intentionally shelling the plant, prices Ukraine denies.
kyiv, in flip, has accused Moscow of militarizing the amenities, together with putting heavy weapons there at the beginning of the battle.
Russian management over the plant is a type of nuclear “blackmail,” he says.
The Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA), which has workers stationed there, has repeatedly known as for restraint, saying it fears reckless navy motion may set off a serious nuclear accident on the plant.
