Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj stated on social media that a fire had broken out at a cooling tower in the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
"Russian occupation forces have set fire to the territory of the nuclear power plant", Zelenskyj writes on the media platform X.
Heavy smoke development
The President posted a video clip showing heavy smoke development from one of the reactor's installation towers, with flames visible from the base of the tower.
The Moscow-loyal governor of the Zaporizhzhya region, Yevgeniy Balitskyj, confirmed that a fire had started in the nuclear power plant's cooling system. Balitskyj accused Ukraine of starting the fire "as a result of grenade attacks from Ukraine against the city of Energodar", the governor writes on the media platform X.
Later during the night towards Monday, Vladimir Rogov, a Moscow-loyal high-ranking official in the region, confirmed that the fire had been completely extinguished.
The fire has not had any impact on safety, announced the IAEA, the UN's atomic energy organization.
"IAEA experts witnessed heavy dark smoke from ZNPP's (Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant) northern part after a number of explosions were heard during the evening", the UN organization wrote.
Attack on Kiev
The reports of the fire came after a day of Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.
The capital Kiev was attacked with rockets, resulting in at least two fatalities.
Five regions in Ukraine were also attacked by drones, according to the country's air force.
In recent days, concern has grown among many Ukrainians that the Kremlin will launch airstrikes in response to the ongoing Ukrainian ground offensive in Russian Kursk.
