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 mentioned.
A blast happened 300 metres (yards) away from the reactors and broken energy plant buildings shortly after midnight, Energoatom mentioned in an announcement. The assault has additionally broken a close-by hydroelectric energy plant and transmission strains.
“At present, all three energy items of the PNPP (Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Energy Plant) are working usually. Happily, there have been no casualties among the many station workers,” Energoatom mentioned.
It revealed two pictures displaying a crater it mentioned was attributable to the blast. In one of many photos a person stood within the crater to offer a way of its measurement.
Commenting on the strike on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned: “The invaders wished to shoot once more, however they forgot what a nuclear energy plant is. Russia endangers the entire world. We’ve got to cease it earlier than it is too late.”
There was no fast Russian response to Ukraine’s accusations.
The Mykolaiv area has been underneath fixed rocket assault by Russian forces in latest 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 issues a few potential 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 workers. The shelling has broken buildings and disrupted energy strains.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog mentioned this weekend one of many 4 principal energy strains 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.