Russian forces start fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Ukraine says
Source: Kyiv Independent
A reported fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was likely started by the Russian military, Ukrainian officials said on Aug. 11.
Russian forces set fire to "a large number of automobile tires in cooling towers," Yevhen Yevtushenko, the head of the military administration in Nikopol, said on Aug. 11, citing sources across the river in occupied Enerhodar. "Perhaps this is a provocation or an attempt to create panic in the settlements on the right bank of the former reservoir," he said. According to Yevtoshenko, radiation levels at the plant are normal.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to hold Russia accountable for the provocation. "As long as Russian terrorists retain control of the nuclear power plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal," Zelensky said in a Telegram post Aug. 11. "We are waiting for the world's reaction, waiting for the IAEA's reaction."
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Its position near the front line has led to heightened nuclear safety risks throughout Russia's full-scale war.
Read more: https://kyivindependent.com/russian-forces-start-fire-at-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-ukraine-says/
The Russians will, no doubt, have a different spin on this event.
On Edit: According to AFP, the Russian-installed governor of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region is blaming the fire on Ukrainian shelling of the town of Energodar.
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Link to tweet
On Second Edit:
IAEA experts witnessed strong dark smoke coming from ZNPPs northern area following multiple explosions heard in the evening. Team was told by ZNPP of an alleged drone attack today on one of the cooling towers located at the site. No impact has been reported for nuclear safety.
Link to tweet
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(11,463 posts). . . Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has warned of a nuclear accident if fighting around the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) continues.
The Kursk NPP has six units of reactors. Two units are shut down, two are under construction and two are fully operational.
Meanwhile, Grossi issued a warning on Thursday about several fires near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine.
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(11,463 posts)Daily Express U.S.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/panicked-russia-digs-fortifications-at-nuclear-plant-as-ukrainian-troops-break-through/ar-AA1oBO1M
There is paranoia among the Russians that Kyiv's thrust into Kursk region may be linked to a grab of the atomic facility.
Satellite and video images are reported as showing the Russian fortifications under construction to safeguard the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant from any Ukrainian advance beyond its current positions towards the nuclear station which is a key source of electricity for the Kursk region and beyond.
. . . Ukraine's troops are only dozens of miles from the nuclear station having crossed into Kursk region last week, though some accounts suggest their movement north has been stalled while they are seeking to widen their area of control just across the border.
There has been speculation that by coming close to Kursk nuclear power plant, Ukraine could use win leverage to force Moscow to cede control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant which it has controlled since the start of the war.