Yevgeniy Balitskiy, the so-called Regional Governor of Zaporizhia annexed by Russia, gave information about the situation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in a written statement.
STATEMENTS CAME ONE AFTER THE OTHER!
Balitskiy, who stated that a fire broke out in the cooling system of Zaporizhia NPP due to the attack carried out by the Ukrainian army with artillery fire, said, “6 units in the plant are in a cold shutdown state, there is no explosion or other danger.” Balitskiy emphasized that the radiation level in the plant and the city where it is located is also at normal levels, and noted that efforts to extinguish the fire are ongoing.
Ukraine has made a statement regarding the fire that broke out in the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant area in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The head of the Nikopol Region Military Administration, Yevhen Yevtushenko, stated that a fire broke out in the plant area, but that it did not threaten the operation of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.
“PLEASE CALM DOWN”
“Please calm down. The fire is not at the Zaporizhia NPP. Perhaps this is a provocation or an attempt to create panic in the settlements on the right bank of the former reservoir. Currently, the Zaporizhia NPP is operating as normally as possible under the conditions of occupation,” Yevtushenko said. Yevtushenko explained that the latest observations showed that the radiation level was within the permissible norms.
“RUSSIAN OCCUPIERS STARTED A FIRE”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “According to information received from Nikopol, Russian invaders started a fire on the territory of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The radiation levels are currently at normal levels. However, as long as Russian terrorists control the nuclear power plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal. Since the first day of its capture, Russia has been using the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant to blackmail not only Ukraine, but all of Europe and the world. We expect the world to react, the IAEA to react. Russia must be held responsible for this. Only Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant can guarantee a return to normal and full security.”
Ukrainian media reported that Russian forces set fire to a pile of tires inside the cooling tower of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. The plant was seized by the Russians in March 2022. The area around the plant, currently under Russian military control, has been subject to artillery attacks, with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other for the attacks.