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[Global Times special correspondents in Russia and Germany Xiao Xinxin, Qingmu, Liu Yupeng and Chen Kang] A cooling tower of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear power plant located in eastern Ukraine, suddenly caught fire and burned on the evening of the 11th. This is the first time that the nuclear power plant has been seriously damaged since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In response, the Russian side claimed that the cooling tower was blown up by a Ukrainian suicide drone and accused Ukraine of "nuclear terrorism". Ukrainian President Zelensky called it "arson by Russian occupiers" to "blackmail Ukraine, Europe and the world". The International Atomic Energy Agency said that the radiation level of the nuclear power plant is normal. At the same time, the Ukrainian army has been invading Russian territory for a week, and the Ukrainian army continues to advance in Kursk Oblast. On the 12th, Russia ordered a new round of evacuations in the area, after Russia had evacuated more than 70,000 civilians from the area. Agence France-Presse said that this was "the largest attack on Russian territory by foreign troops since World War II." As the Ukrainian army advances into the Kursk region in Russia, whether it will attack the main Russian nuclear power plant located there, or whether Russia and Ukraine will exchange fire near the Kursk nuclear power plant, has also become the focus of international attention. Nuclear power plants in Ukraine and Russia have frequently encountered accidents or may be in danger, which is particularly worrying for Europe, which has suffered the impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. On the 12th, Austrian Prime Minister Nehammer urgently called for the de-escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and for negotiations.

'They have to stop now'