Ukrainian UAV caused fire in Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant area: Russia

Moscow, Aug 12 (IANS) Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of shelling the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) which resulted in fire in the area of one of the cooling towers.

"Tonight an attack by a Ukrainian UAV caused fire in the area of cooling systems of the Zaporozhskaya NPP. Russia will insist that IAEA names the perpetrator of this attack in the area of the ZNPP. Further silencing of this fact only condones Kyiv's sense of impunity," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday while forwarding a statement from the country's Permanent Mission in Vienna.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that its experts at ZNPP witnessed thick dark smoke coming from the north-western area of the plant, after hearing "multiple explosions" throughout the evening.

ZNPP has two cooling towers located at the northern side of the cooling pond, outside of the ZNPP perimetre.

According to the agency, cooling towers are used during power operation of the plant and their damage does not directly impact the safety of the six units in shutdown. However, any kind of fire on the site or in its vicinity represents a risk of spreading the fire also to facilities essential for safety.

"The team was informed that an alleged drone attack on one of the plant's cooling towers took place today. There is no impact on nuclear safety," confirmed IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

The agency said that, in order to ascertain the extent and possible cause of the event, the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) is requesting immediate access to the cooling tower to assess the damage.

Grossi reiterated that any military action taken against the plant represents a clear violation of the five concrete principles for protecting the facility, which were established at the United Nations Security Council in May, last year.

"These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now," he said.

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