The CEO of Russia’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), Aleksey Likhachyov, says that Ukraine has started “a completely new level of targeted aggression aimed at the infrastructure of nuclear facilities.”  Ukraine used two drones to attack the power plant, and those strikes started a fire at the facility and caused serious damage to one of its cooling towers, nuclear power agency Rosatom has said.

Commenting on the incident, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that “Russian occupiers started a fire” at the facility, without mentioning any drone strikes. He also shared footage showing a large blaze in the lower levels of the tower, with plumes of smoke rising hundreds of meters into the sky, according to a report by RT.

U.S. Claims There Is “No Imminent Threat” To Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The fire was promptly and almost completely extinguished by first responders within a couple of hours.  “The internal structures of the cooling tower suffered serious damage. The risk of the structure collapsing will be assessed by specialists as soon as possible,” Rosatom stated.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has a mission at Zaporozhye NPP, said that its experts heard “multiple explosions” at the facility, without attributing responsibility to either Russia or Ukraine. The watchdog stated that “no impact has been reported for nuclear safety.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi also condemned what he called “reckless attacks” that “endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident.” –RT

The Zaporozhye NPP was seized by Russian forces in 2022, several days after the start of the conflict. While Zaporozhye Region joined Russia in a public referendum in the autumn of 2022, the facility itself is located not far from the front line. Against this backdrop, Ukraine and Russia have often traded accusations over who was behind attacks on the facility.

Russia has long warned that eventually, Ukraine will use a “dirty” nuclear device on the plant.

Russia Says A Ukrainian Attack On Zaporizhzhia Facility With a ‘Dirty’ Nuclear Device Is Imminent