• New satellite images show damage to the roof of a building at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant.
  • The plant in southern Ukraine, Europe's biggest, has been occupied by Russian forces for months.
  • It has also been the site of recent fighting, which has led watchdog agencies to voice concern. 

Satellite images published on Monday show local fires and damage to a building at southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant, which occupying Russian troops have been using as a shield. 

One image, captured by Maxar Technologies and obtained by Insider, shows a handful of holes in the roof of a building at the power plant, which has suffered damage from fires and explosions amid fighting and shelling in the area. A few of the holes appear to have darkened scorch marks around them, but it is unclear what caused them.

This image specifically highlights the damage to the roof of a building at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Damage to the roof of a building at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies.

Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant — the biggest in Europe — since early March. International watchdogs have constantly voiced concerns that any fighting near the plant could spark a major disaster.

In recent weeks, hostilities and shelling around the plant have caused damage to the facility and disconnected it from the local power grid. Ukraine's state energy operator last week blamed the disconnection — which it said was the first in its decades-long history — on Russia. Shelling earlier in August also triggered a partial power shutdown at the plant.  

Britain's Defense Ministry, among others, has said in intelligence updates that Russian forces appear to be using the plant's protected status as a shield, leaving Ukraine reluctant to attack because it doesn't want to risk a nuclear accident. Nuclear watchdogs, meanwhile, have been saying the plant's safety and security need to be secured.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Monday that the "day has come" for a mission to travel to the nuclear plant to ensure and inspect its stability. He said the mission would arrive later this week. 

The following are some other images of the Zaporizhzhia plant that Maxar captured Monday, which show armored personnel carriers and smoke from nearby fires. 

Armored personnel carriers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on August 29, 2022.
Armored personnel carriers at the Zaporizhzhia plant on Monday.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies.
A closer view of reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on August 29, 2022.
A closer view of reactors at the plant.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies.
Overview of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on August 29, 2022.
An overview of the plant.
Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies.