Russia Accuses Ukraine of 'Nuclear Terrorism'

Russia's state-owned energy group Rosatom accused Ukraine on Monday of committing "nuclear terrorism" after a fire broke out at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

Russia and Ukraine have pointed fingers at each other over the fire, which began on Sunday evening and was extinguished by 11:30 p.m. local time, according to Rosatom.

The blaze is reported to have started on the territory of the nuclear plant, which is Europe's largest and has been under Russian control since early March 2022, just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

One of the plant's cooling towers, designed to cool nuclear reactors, caught fire. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has reported signs of elevated radiation as a result of the blaze.

The ZNPP's six reactors have been in shutdown mode since September 2022. Its one remaining power line is supplying the electricity needed to prevent a reactor meltdown.

When the ZNPP was seized by Russian forces in March 2022, there was widespread concern about a potential nuclear catastrophe at the plant as Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed in the region. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other's forces of attacking the plant.

Rosatom said in a statement cited by Russia's state-run news agency Tass on Monday that the ZNPP was attacked by Ukrainian forces who targeted the facility's equipment.

"Therefore, this attack can be characterized as an act of nuclear terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian authorities," Rosatom said.

Alexey Likhachev, the agency's director general, accused Ukraine on state TV of "targeted aggression aimed at the infrastructure of nuclear power facilities."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also accused Kyiv of attempting to sow "nuclear terror."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the fire was started by Russian forces. He shared a video on his social media channels showing a thick column of black smoke rising from the ZNP.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Sunday that "strong dark smoke" had been observed "coming from ZNPP's 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," the agency said on X, formerly Twitter. "No impact has been reported for nuclear safety."

The cause of the fire remains unclear. Newsweek reached out to the IAEA for additional comment via email.

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