Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over fire at occupied nuclear plant

(Reuters) – Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Sunday, as Ukraine urged residents to remain calm and reported no sign of elevated radiation.

The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, which has a presence at the vast six-reactor facility, said its experts had seen strong, dark smoke coming from the northern area of the plant in southern Ukraine following multiple explosions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of lighting a fire which he said was visible from the Kyiv-held city of Nikopol which looks out onto the Russian-held plant.

Evgeny Balitsky, a Russian-installed official in the occupied south, accused Kyiv’s forces of causing the fire by shelling the nearby city of Enerhodar which, like the plant, was captured by Russia soon after its February 2022 invasion.

The IAEA said there had been no reported impact on nuclear safety at the site.

“Team was told by (the nuclear plant) of an alleged drone attack today on one of the cooling towers located at the site,” it wrote on X.

Yevhen Yevtushenko, a local Ukrainian official in Nikopol said there was “unofficial” information that Russian forces had set fire to a large number of automobile tires in the cooling towers.

Zelenskiy published grainy video showing belching black smoke that appeared to be coming out a cooling tower with a blaze burning at its foot.

“Currently, the radiation indicators are normal. But as long as Russian terrorists retain control over the nuclear plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal,” he said.

The Russian management of the facility said emergency workers had contained the fire and that there was no threat of it spreading further.

“The fire did not affect the operation of the station,” it said.

The six reactors at the plant located close to the front line of the war in Ukraine are not in operation but the facility relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident.

Moscow and Kyiv have routinely accused each other of endangering safety around it.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Josie Kao)