Despite the dramatic scene of a huge fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine and Russia continue to look for faults.

Ukrainian and Russian leaders have blamed each other after a fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which the Russian military has controlled since March 2022.

Black smoke rises from a cooling tower at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. (Source: Getty Images)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, said in a statement that experts saw “dense black smoke rising from the northwestern part of the plant, following multiple explosions throughout the evening”.

Operators told the IAEA that the fire occurred after a drone struck one of the plant's two cooling towers.

Despite the dramatic scenes, both the IAEA and the Ukrainian government said there was no immediate cause for alarm. “Right now, radiation levels are within normal limits,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post.

Operators at the Zaporizhzhia plant have told the IAEA that there is no radioactive material near the site of the recent attack and a UN team has independently verified that radiation levels in the area have not changed.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian military control since 2022. The IAEA confirmed that the plant's six reactors have been put into "cold shutdown" mode.

President Zelensky blamed Russia and wrote on X that since the first days of Russian control, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been a tool to pressure Ukraine, all of Europe and the world . “We are waiting for the world to react, for the IAEA to react. Russia must be held responsible for this. Only Ukraine controlling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant can ensure a return to normalcy and complete safety.”

Ukrainian officials said it was a provocation by Russian forces and called on Western allies and the UN nuclear watchdog to take action.

The Russian military burned car tires in the cooling towers to create the appearance of a fire, according to Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the military administration in Nikopol, across the river from the plant.

“Perhaps this is a provocation or an attempt to cause panic in the settlements on the right bank of the former reservoir,” Mr Yevtushenko said.

Meanwhile, Rosatom, the Russian state energy corporation tasked with operating the plant, blamed the Ukrainian military.

In a statement published by the Russian state news agency TASS , Rosatom accused Ukraine of nuclear intimidation. The company also blamed Ukraine for a similar attack at the plant in June.

Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-appointed governor of Zaporizhzhia province, blamed the fire on Ukrainian military shelling of the nearby city of Enerhodar, CNN reported.

The IAEA has so far refused to assign blame for the latest fire. “These reckless attacks jeopardize nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident,” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on August 11. “They must stop now.”

The fire in Zaporizhzhia came just days after the Ukrainian military launched a counteroffensive into Russian territory. The fighting brought Ukrainian troops closer to the Kursk nuclear power plant, prompting another warning from the IAEA on August 9.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bat-chap-canh-tuong-day-kich-tinh-vu-chay-lon-o-nha-may-dien-hat-nhan-zaporizhzhia-ukraine-va-nga-van-khong-ngung-vach-la-tim-sau-282285.html