Ukraine and Russia blame one other for Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility fire

Ukraine and Russia have engaged in a blame game following a fire that erupted at the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Sunday.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, a fire has been allegedly started by Russian forces at the plant, which has been under the control of Moscow's troops for over two years. The governor of Zaporizhzhia attributed the cause of the blaze to Ukrainian shelling.

According to the UN's nuclear watchdog, "strong dark smoke" emanated from the facility. However, no reported impacts on nuclear safety were noted.

In a significant development, Ukrainian troops have made a deep incursion into Russia, advancing up to 30km. This marks the most critical movement since Moscow's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

According to Yevgeny Balitsky, the governor of Zaporizhzhia, a fire erupted at the power plant's cooling towers on Sunday.

According to his statement, he attributed the incident to Ukrainian shelling. However, he urged for calm and reassured that there had been no increase in radiation levels near the plant.

In a recent statement, Mr. Zelensky assured the public that no radiation spike or risk of a nuclear leak had been detected. However, he did not avoid accusing Russia of deliberately igniting the fire as a means of "blackmailing" Kyiv.

According to a recent Telegram post by Vladimir Rogov, a Kremlin-appointed official, the fire has been declared "completely extinguished" in the early hours of Monday.

Since 2022, Russian troops and officials have taken control of the nuclear power plant. The power generation has been inactive for over two years, with all six reactors remaining in cold shutdown since April.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a statement on X, reporting that their experts observed "strong dark smoke" emanating from the plant after "multiple explosions."

According to reports, the plant claimed that there was a supposed drone attack on one of the cooling towers at the site.

The IAEA stated that there have been no reported impacts on nuclear safety.

The IAEA later released a statement expressing their request for immediate access to the cooling tower to assess the extent of the damage.

In a surprising turn of events, a fire erupted just one day after President Zelensky made a groundbreaking admission. For the first time, he openly acknowledged that his military is engaged in a cross-border offensive within Russia's western Kursk region.

During his regular video address on Saturday, Mr. Zelensky asserted that Ukraine's military was advancing the conflict onto what he referred to as "the aggressor's territory."

According to a high-ranking Ukrainian official, the number of troops involved in the operation is significantly higher than initially reported by Russian border guards. The official revealed to the AFP news agency that thousands of soldiers are engaged in the operation.

In a surprising move, Kyiv launched an attack on Tuesday, making significant progress by advancing over 30km (19 miles) into Russian territory. This marks the furthest incursion since Moscow initiated its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Ukrainian advance has posed a significant challenge for Russia, resulting in the evacuation of over 76,000 individuals from the Kursk region. Local authorities have declared a state of emergency in response to the situation.

Russia's rail operator has established emergency trains from Kursk to Moscow, providing an option for individuals seeking to escape the situation.

Ongoing clashes continued over the weekend, as Kursk Governor Aleksei Smirnov reported on Sunday that there were casualties resulting from what he described as a "treacherous" Ukrainian attack.

In a recent statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the offensive as a significant provocation.