Firefighters can not begin to extinguish the fire at the nuclear power plant as it is still being shelled.
A convoy of Russian forces has been moving in the direction of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhia, in the city of Enerhodar on Friday, and fighting has broken out during the evening.
Hard fighting for several hours
"Loud shots can be heard in the city," Mayor Dmytro said late Thursday night.
Earlier in the evening, Dmytro urged the city's 50,000 residents to stay indoors.
At midnight, the mayor writes that fierce fighting has been going on for over an hour, but that the National Guard is holding the defense.
A video uploaded to the magazine Suspline News Twitter shows how forces opened fire nearby.
Earlier, it was reported how the Russian forces tried to break through a barricade set up by the local population and defense forces to protect the nuclear power plant.
A quarter of the electricity consumed in Ukraine comes from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant located in the southern parts of the country.
Russia has already taken control of the Chernobyl plant, north of Kyiv.
The Foreign Minister appeals
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced on Twitter at 01.34 that "The Russian army is firing from all directions at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Fire has already broken out.
If it flares up, it will be 10 times bigger than Chernobyl!
Russians must IMMEDIATELY end the battle, allow firefighters to enter and establish a security zone! ”