Russians set a fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Occupying Russian forces at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have started a raging fire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported.  It is believed that Russian military and personnel deliberately ignited a pile of automotive tires in the cooling tower, concludes  Yevhen Yevtushenko, Head of the Nikopol District Military Administration. 

“Currently, radiation levels are within norm. However, as long as the Russian terrorists maintain control over the nuclear plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal. Since the first day of its seizure, Russia has been using the Zaporizhzhia NPP only to blackmail Ukraine, but all of Europe, and the world,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Enerhodar. We have recorded from Nikopol that the Russian occupiers have started a fire on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Currently, radiation levels are within norm. However, as long as the Russian terrorists maintain control over the nuclear plant, the… pic.twitter.com/TQUi3BJg4J

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 11, 2024

Going by past experience the Russians were quick to deflect responsibility in blaming Ukraine for “shelling” the facility. Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency experts reported a column of thick black smoke billowing into the sky from the northern area of the ZNPP: there were also reports of numerous explosions on the evening of August 11th.

“The fire at the ZNPP has been extinguished. Radiation levels in the Nikopol area are normal. We are monitoring the situation closely,” wrote Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on the morning of August 12.

Earlier, UK military analysts reported that the Russians are continuing to dig trenches around the cooling pond of the ZNPP. Since occupying the plant, the Russians have built over 1,000 meters of trenches, primarily concentrated on the northern and western sides of the pond.