A fire broke out in the area of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as a result of Russian fire. Authorities say the fire has been extinguished.
Russia has fired on the city of Enerhodar last night, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Ukrainian emergency officials said on Friday that a fire broke out near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant as a result of the fire.
On Friday morning, it was not entirely clear what had happened in the nuclear power plant area during the night.
News agencies AFP and Reuters said early Friday morning, citing government sources, that the fire caused a fire in the training building and authorities said the fire had not spread to the actual power plant.
Spokesman for the nuclear power plant Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television that one of the reactors at the nuclear power plant would have caught fire as a result of the attack by Russia. According to Tuz, the reactor, which caught fire, was out of order, reports the news agency AP.
A video released by Reuters shows the Russians firing on a building near a nuclear power plant. The pictures show how the smoke rises into the air.
Tuz said in videos posted in the Telegram early Friday that firefighters did not get to the scene immediately to put out the fire. In the morning, the U.S. Department of Energy said it was raising the readiness of the Nuclear Accident Prevention Team as a precautionary measure.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement issued hours later that a fire at the nuclear power plant in the area early Friday has not affected the plant’s key facilities.
According to the IAEA, radiation levels have remained unchanged.
On Friday morning, local authorities said the fire had been brought under control. According to local authorities, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is currently under Russian control.
Enerhodar is located 550 km southeast of Kiev. There have been fierce fighting in the area in recent days. The mayor of Enerhodar said in an online message on Friday morning that the night fire claimed casualties, but did not specify the number of casualties.
Zelenskyi: Russia is engaging in nuclear terrorism
President of Ukraine Volodymir Zelenskyi posted a video on his Facebook account in which he says no state, except Russia, has previously bombed nuclear power plants.
– This is the first time in human history that an attacker has resorted to nuclear terrorism, Zelenskyi said.
Russia took over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant last week. Chernobyl is located about 100 kilometers north of Kiev.
A major power plant accident occurred at a nuclear power plant in 1986 when one of its reactors exploded. The accident caused a radioactive fallout in much of Europe.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is said to be safer than Chernobyl once was.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi warned on video that if the nuclear power plant were damaged, the damage would be massive throughout Europe.
– There are six nuclear reactors, six. Only one reactor was destroyed in the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Zelenskyi said.
According to Zelensky, if the Zaporizhia reactors were damaged, the whole of Europe would have to be evacuated.