New video footage shows the deep threat of nuclear disaster at Europe’s largest atomic power station.
Both Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other as the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog warned of a “grave hour” amid fears of a new Chernobyl horror.
The poor quality video shows smoke rising after the apparent shelling of the vicinity of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Ukraine claims Vladimir Putin ’s forces have turned the site into a military base in the expectation Kyiv’s military will not retaliate.
"Russian invaders again shelled the Zaporizhzhia plant and territories near the nuclear facility,” said a Ukrainian statement.
The US said: "Fighting near a nuclear plant is dangerous and irresponsible.”
Russia’s envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said attempts to accuse Moscow of shelling the facilities that it controls in occupied Ukraine are "too absurd to be heard from grown-up, respectable people”.
He told a UN security council meeting: "The representative of the Kiev regime was the only person to claim during today’s session that Russia was shelling the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the city of Energodar that it controls.”
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the occupying Russian administration, said: "Dozens of MLRS rockets, heavy artillery rounds, strike drones have been launched towards the territory of the NPP.”
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on both sides to stop all fighting near the plant which should be made a demilitarised zone.
Energoatom's chief, Petro Kotin, recently said it was vital Kyiv regains control over the plant in the Russian-occupied south in time for winter.
Some of the shelling landed near storage facilities for spent fuel, an area that has 174 containers of highly radioactive material, Kotin said.
He warned of the dangers of them being hit, saying: "This is...the most radioactive material in all the nuclear power plant.
"This would (mean) the distribution (of it) around this place and then we will have like a radiation cloud and then the weather will decide...which direction the cloud goes."
"The risk is very high," he added.
The Mirror yesterday reported alleged overnight explosions at a closely guarded Russian military base close to the Ukrainian border in Belarus.
Belarusky Gayun, a Telegram channel monitoring military activity, said this was one of several explosions at the airfield which has been used for strikes on Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
The “explosions” were filmed from a distance of 12 to 15 miles suggesting they were large.
It was unclear if this was a Ukrainian attack or sabotage or an accident at the base.
There were “from six to eight flashes of light” and “explosion waves”, claimed the channel, which asked: “If it's not an explosion, what do you think it looks like?”
The Belarus Ministry of Defence explained the explosions as the ignition of an “engine”.
Officials said this happened around 11pm on Wednesday while witnesses spoke of the explosions an hour and a half later.
The base is close to the border with Ukraine in Gomel region.
The incident followed the arrival of Russian Il-76s yesterday which may have brought air defence equipment.
A major fire swept through a Russian military unit near Moscow overnight and around 50 conscripts and soldiers had to be evacuated, it has been reported.