On Sunday, Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of setting fire to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, while Ukraine called on residents to remain calm and reported no signs of increased radiation.

The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, which has a presence at the massive six-reactor facility, said its experts saw strong dark smoke emanating from the northern territory of the plant in southern Ukraine after multiple explosions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the arson, which he said was visible from the Kyiv-controlled city of Nikopol, which overlooks the Russian-controlled plant.

Yevgeny Balitsky, a Russian-appointed official in the occupied south, accused Kyiv forces of arson bomb the nearby town of Energodar which, like the plant, was captured by Russia shortly after the invasion in February 2022.

The IAEA said there were no reported impacts on nuclear safety at the facility.

“The team was informed (by the nuclear plant) of a suspected drone attack today on one of the cooling towers located at the facility,” he wrote in X.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a local Ukrainian official in Nikopol, said there was “unofficial” information that Russian troops had set fire to a large number of car tires in the cooling towers.

Zelensky posted a grainy video showing black smoke rising from the cooling tower and a fire burning below.

“Radiation levels are currently normal, but as long as Russian terrorists maintain control over the nuclear power plant, the situation will not and cannot be normal,” he said.

The Russian management of the facility stated that rescuers had localized the fire and there was no threat of it spreading further.

“The fire did not affect the station’s operations,” he added.

All six reactors at the plant, located near the front lines of the war in Ukraine, are not working, but the facility relies on external power to keep nuclear material cool and avoid a catastrophic accident.

Moscow and Kyiv constantly accuse each other of threatening security around them. (Reuters)