The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated late last night that its representatives inspected a damaged cooling tower at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in occupied part of Ukraine but could not immediately determine the cause of the fire there at the weekend. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of starting the fire at the vast dormant nuclear power plant in Ukraine, with Russia blaming a drone attack and Ukraine saying it was likely Russia’s negligence or arson.
The IAEA team found no immediate sign of drone remains and assessed that it was unlikely that the primary source of the fire began at the base of the cooling tower, the IAEA said in a statement on its website. “The team has not been able to draw definitive conclusions (on the cause of fire) on the basis of the findings and observations so far,” the agency said. Neither Moscow or Kyiv have reported signs of elevated radiation.
The IAEA said damage was most likely concentrated on the interior of the tower at the water nozzle distribution level, at roughly 10 metres high. “The team confirmed that there were no significant signs of disturbance of the debris, ash or soot located at the base of the cooling tower,” the IAEA said. “The nuclear safety of the plant was not affected, as the cooling towers are not currently in operation.” Russia captured the plant from Ukraine shortly after launching a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour in 2022, which it calls a “special military operation”.
This comes at a time when after months of reverses, the Ukrainian forces have handed over a victory to Zelenskiy. Ukraine announced on Monday that its biggest cross-border assault of the war had captured 1,000 square kilometres of Russia’s Kursk region and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to be forced into making peace.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
