---
title: "Ukraine Says Russian Army Starts Fire at Occupied Nuclear Plant"
description: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops started a fire on the grounds of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, calling on the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency to react."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-12-ukraine-says-russian-army-starts-fire-at-occupied-nuclear-plant/"
published: "2024-08-12T04:44:34"
updated: "2024-08-12T05:58:41"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 85
---

# Ukraine Says Russian Army Starts Fire at Occupied Nuclear Plant

> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops started a fire on the grounds of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, calling on the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency to react.

By Bloomberg · Published 12 August 2024, 06:44 SAST · Updated 12 August 2024, 07:58 SAST

## Content

Radiation levels are within a normal range at the moment, Zelensky said late Sunday in a post on the X social media network.

Russia seized Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, in March 2022, shortly after it launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Since then, the plant has been disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid, though Russia has failed to connect it to its electricity network. The IAEA demanded that Russia return the plant to Ukraine, citing concerns over deteriorating safety.