Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been seized by the Russian military forces, according to regional authorities.
A screen grab captured from a video shows a view of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a fire following clashes around the site in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on 4 March, 2022. Photo: AFP
"Operational personnel are monitoring the condition of power units," a local authority said on social media, adding that the efforts sought to ensure the operations were in line with safety requirements.
Earlier, local emergency services managed to extinguish the fire at the after it was shelled by Russian forces.
The Ukranian State Emergency Service wrote on their social media accounts that the fire was now out and there were no injuries.
According to Ukrainian emergency officials, the fighting sparked fires on the third, fourth and fifth floor of a building at the nuclear complex.
In a video posted on Twitter, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russians of deliberately shooting at the Zaporizhzhia plant's six reactors using tanks equipped with thermal imaging.
Invoking the "global catastrophe" at Chernobyl in 1986, he warned the consequences of a meltdown at Zaporizhzhia would be far worse.
"Europeans, wake up please. Tell your politicians that Russian forces are shooting at the nuclear plant in Ukraine," he begged.
See how the day's events unfolded with RNZ's live blog here: