A massive fire was reported at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) on Sunday, with Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of starting the blaze.
The nuclear plant—Europe’s largest—has been under Russian control since early March 2022, just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. It was one of the first sites to be seized by Russian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the fire was started by Russian forces, while the Kremlin-installed governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Yevhen Balitsky, accused Ukraine of being behind the blaze.
Footage shared by Zelensky on his social media channels showed a thick column of black smoke rising from the facility.
“We have recorded from Nikopol that the Russian occupiers have started a fire on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” he wrote.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement late on Sunday that “strong dark smoke” had been observed “coming from ZNPP’s northern area following multiple explosions heard in the evening.”
Read more at Newsweek.com
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