Fighting between Russia, Ukraine Causes Fire at Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant. Here’s What We Know So Far

KOMPAS.com – Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station — the largest of its kind in Europe — has come under fire in the war in Ukraine and has been seized by Russian forces.

A fire broke out in a building at the plant on Thursday night (local time) as Ukrainian defenders and Russian troops fought for control of the area.

Local mayor Dmytro Orlov said the fire was caused by heavy Russian shelling and called it a threat to world security.

The Ukrainian military later said that the fire had damaged part of a reactor building but that the plant was still operating safely after being captured by Russian soldiers.

Nuclear monitors said there was no change to radiation levels.

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Earlier, Ukraine’s President warned the fighting around the plant could cause a possible nuclear disaster that could affect large parts of Europe.

Here’s what we know about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and what could happen next.

What is at Zaporizhzhia?

Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe and accounts for one-quarter of Ukraine’s power generation.

The power plant has six Russian-designed reactors. It was first commissioned in 1984, two years before the Chernobyl disaster, and has since been expanded and upgraded.

The plant is situated in Enerhodar, a city on the banks of the Dnieper River, a few hundred kilometers from the Black Sea in south-eastern Ukraine.

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Russia has already captured the defunct Chernobyl plant, about 100 kilometers north of Kyiv, which spewed radioactive waste over much of Europe when it melted down.

The Zaporizhzhia reactors are of a different and safer type, analysts said.