Ukraine says Russia strikes Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant, reactors undamaged
KYIV (Reuters) -Russian troops struck the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear energy plant in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv area early on Monday however its reactors haven’t been broken and are working usually, Ukraine’s state nuclear firm Energoatom stated.
A blast came about 300 metres (yards) away from the reactors and broken energy plant buildings shortly after midnight, Energoatom stated in an announcement. The assault has additionally broken a close-by hydroelectric energy plant and transmission traces.
“At the moment, all three energy models of the PNPP (Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Energy Plant) are working usually. Fortuitously, there have been no casualties among the many station employees,” Energoatom stated.
It revealed two pictures exhibiting a crater it stated was brought on by the blast. In one of many photos a person stood within the crater to offer a way of its dimension.
Commenting on the strike on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated: “The invaders needed to shoot once more, however they forgot what a nuclear energy plant is. Russia endangers the entire world. We’ve to cease it earlier than it is too late.”
There was no speedy Russian response to Ukraine’s accusations.
The Mykolaiv area has been underneath fixed rocket assault by Russian forces in current weeks.
One other Ukrainian nuclear energy plant at Zaporizhzhia – which is Europe’s largest and lies about 250 km (155 miles) east of the Mykolaiv website – was shut down earlier this month as a result of Russian shelling, prompting considerations a couple of doable nuclear catastrophe.
Russia and Ukraine have blamed one another for shelling on the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is held by Russian forces however operated by Ukrainian employees. The shelling has broken buildings and disrupted energy traces.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog stated this weekend one of many 4 important energy traces on the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility had been repaired and was as soon as once more supplying the plant with electrical energy from the Ukrainian grid.
(Reporting by Pavel PolityukWriting by Olzhas Auyezov and Pavel Polityuk; Enhancing by Toby Chopra and Gareth Jones)
