"We would like to draw your attention to the fact that today's strike was carried out on the NPP equipment, the main task of which is to cool water during normal operation of the plant. Thus, this event can be characterized as an act of nuclear terrorism on the part of the Ukrainian authorities," the statement says.
According to Rosatom, "on August 11, at 20:20 and 20:32, one of the two cooling towers of the Zaporozhye NPP was directly struck by Ukrainian attack drones, resulting in a fire with burning internal structures. By 23:30, the main fire was extinguished by the Ministry of Emergency Situations."
"As a result of the attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the cooling tower of the Zaporozhye NPP was seriously damaged," the statement says.
Meanwhile, ZNPP spokeswoman Yevgenia Yashina told Sputnik that the cooling tower had burned out from the inside, with the restoration time to be determined after assessing its condition.
"The cooling tower has burned out from the inside. The time frame and feasibility of restoring the facility will become clear after assessing the damage," Yashina said.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi has said that there is no threat to nuclear safety following the drone attack. He refrained from specifying who was responsible for the attack while describing the cooling tower damage.