Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant sustains damage after Ukrainian strike

Moscow, Aug 12 (IANS) The infrastructure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has sustained serious damage for the first time since the start of the ongoing shelling and attacks by Ukrainian forces, ZNPP Director of Communications Yevgenia Yashina said.

"The infrastructure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has for the first time suffered serious damage as a result of a strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine," said Yashina.

She added that the Ukrainian forces carried out the attack using a kamikaze drone, reports Xinhua news agency, citing Russian media TASS.

Despite the damage and subsequent fire at the cooling system facilities, Yashina said that the plant's operations have not been affected.

"The cooling tower is used for cooling, but the reactor units are currently shut down, so the tower is not in use. The sprinkler pools are sufficient for cooling now," she said.

Earlier, Yevgeny Balitsky, Governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said that the cooling systems of the ZNPP caught fire due to the Ukrainian strike. He assured that all six reactor units of the plant are in a cold shutdown, eliminating any risk of a steam explosion.

While the Russian side accused Kyiv of deliberately attempting to destroy the plant and incite "nuclear terror," Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy operator Energoatom said that Russia's "negligence" or arson could have sparked the fire.

Energoatom also claimed, without providing evidence, that Russia has been using the plant's cooling towers to store military equipment and explosives.