Gaping holes have been spotted on the roof of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant sparking fears of a radiation leak.
There has been severe shelling in the area with the Russians occupying the plant but Ukrainian forces have now won back territory nearby.
And the Zaporizhzhia facility is still operated by the Ukrainian Energoatom company which says that Russian troops have been “repeatedly shelling” it, causing damage to the infrasture and meaning there is a risk of a radioactive leak.
"As a result of periodic shelling, the infrastructure of the station has been damaged, there are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances, and the fire hazard is high," Energoatom said on Telegram.
Now satellite images show local fires and damage to the nuclear power plant.
Holes can be seen on the top of buildings, and there are what appears to be marks where there has been fire, in photos from Maxar Technologies and obtained by the Insider.
The world has been scrambling to try and avoid a disaster at Europe's largest nuclear plant. A mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the facility, captured by Russian forces in March arrived in Kyiv on Monday and due to start work in the coming days, Ukraine said.
Led by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, the mission will assess physical damage, evaluate working conditions and check safety and security systems, the Vienna-based organisation said.
It will also "perform urgent safeguards activities", a reference to keeping track of nuclear material.
On Monday, Russian-installed officials contradicted Energoatom's claims by saying it was a Ukrainian missile strike that had punched a hole in the roof of a fuel depot at the plant.
Russia's defence ministry said its forces had shot down a Ukrainian drone that was trying to attack the complex, Russian news agencies reported. It said there was no serious damage and radiation levels were normal.
The Kremlin said the IAEA mission was "necessary" and urged the international community to pressure Ukraine to reduce military tensions at the plant. The IAEA mission must carry out its work in a politically neutral manner, Russia's foreign ministry said.
The United Nations, United States and Ukraine have called for the demilitarization of the complex.
"We continue to believe that a controlled shutdown of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactors would be the safest and least risky option in the near-term," said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
