The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been severely damaged by Ukraine

The interior of the cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was burned, and both Russia and Ukraine blamed each other.

On the evening of August 11, 2024, a cooling tower at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in eastern Ukraine suddenly caught fire and burned down. This was the first time the nuclear power plant had been severely damaged since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Both Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for causing the accident.

According to RIA Novosti, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant controlled by Russia was attacked by a Ukrainian *** drone, causing a fire in one of the two cooling towers of the nuclear power plant. The press secretary of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Yashina, said that this was the first time the nuclear power plant had been severely damaged after being attacked by drones since the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Currently, the radiation levels at the nuclear power plant and the surrounding area remain normal. However, she emphasized that in order to fundamentally ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, hostilities must be stopped in the area where the nuclear power plant is located. The Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation issued a statement saying that the interior of the cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant "suffered severe damage", and relevant experts will assess whether the cooling tower is at risk of collapse when the situation permits. The statement said that this was not the first time the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had become the target of Ukrainian army attacks, and this attack was an act of nuclear terrorism carried out by the Ukrainian authorities.

Regarding the attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova condemned in a post on a social platform, saying that encouraged by the West, the Kyiv terrorists have destroyed their country, harmed the Ukrainian people, and undermined world energy and food security. Now they have begun to carry out nuclear terrorism on the European continent. The Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna issued a statement saying that Russia demands that the International Atomic Energy Agency clearly identify the culprit of the attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and bring the relevant responsible persons to justice.

In response to Russia's accusations, Ukrainian Pravda reported on the 12th that Ukrainian President Zelensky delivered a video speech on a social platform, saying that it was the Russian side that set fire in the area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. He also pointed out that the radiation indicators of the nuclear power plant were normal. He said that currently Ukraine is waiting for the reaction of the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Russia should be held responsible for this.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that the current radiation levels at the nuclear power plant are normal. At the same time, the Ukrainian army has broken into Russian territory for a week, and the Ukrainian army is still advancing in Kursk Oblast. While the Ukrainian army is advancing into Kursk Oblast in Russia, whether it will attack the main Russian nuclear power plant located there, or whether Russia and Ukraine will exchange fire near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, has also become the focus of international attention.