Kyiv said that Russian forces had started the fire at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia. However, Zaporizhzhia's Kremlin-installed governor insisted that Ukrainian artillery was the source of the fire, BBC reports. Ukrainian troops have launched a large-scale invasion across the border into southern Russia's Kursk region beginning last Tuesday. They have gained control of much of the area as tens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated. The BBC calls it "the deepest and most significant incursion since Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022."
Yevgeny Balitsky, Zaporizhzhia's governor, reported on Sunday that there was a fire at the cooling towers of the power plant but urged people to remain "calm" as no radiation spike had been detected around the plant. While he said Ukrainian shelling was to blame, Zelensky accused the Kremlin of purposefully starting the fire to try and "blackmail" Kyiv.
UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) posted to X: "IAEA experts witnessed strong dark smoke 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. No impact has been reported for nuclear safety."
It later stated: "The IAEA team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya NPP viewed evidence provided today that continues to indicate that Monday’s fire did not start at the base of the cooling tower."
