The missile strike caused a short-term power outage. Windows were also damaged in buildings on the territory of the nuclear plant.
A powerful Russian missile exploded just over 900 feet from a nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region early on Monday, Ukrainian military staff said on Twitter and shared a video of the explosion.
In the social media post, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the alleged Russian missile fell 300 meters, about 984 feet, from the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant. The black and video showed the empty night sky suddenly lighting up with bright light due to the explosion in the distance.
Миколаївщина. Вночі за 300 метрів від Південноукраїнської АЕС прилетіла ракета. Відбулося короткочасне відключення електролінії.
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 19, 2022
У будівлях на території АЕС пошкоджені вікна. pic.twitter.com/2pmpy2u88f
The missile strike caused a short-term power outage, officials said. They also added that windows were damaged in buildings on the territory of the nuclear plant.
According to Newsweek, Ukraine’s state nuclear enterprise, Energoatom, also informed about the blast, saying that it took place on the plant’s industrial site in the early morning hours on Monday.
They said that even though the explosion occurred less than 1,000 feet from its reactors, all three reactors continued to operate normally and none of the plant’s staff had been injured. The Energoatom stated that the blast did break over 100 windows on the nuclear plant’s buildings, while one of its hydropower units and three power lines were downed.
“Acts of nuclear terrorism committed by the Russian military threaten the whole world. They should be stopped immediately to prevent a new disaster!” the statement read.
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also shared the video of the explosion on Telegram and condemned the strike. “The invaders wanted to shoot again, but they forgot what a nuclear power plant is,” he said, adding, “Russia endangers the whole world. We have to stop it before it’s too late”.
The strike near the South Ukraine plant, which is Ukraine’s second-largest working nuclear station, follows months of concern over the larger Zaporizhzhia plant to the east. Both Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of shelling near the Zaporizhzhia facility that is currently controlled by Russia but operated by Ukrainians.
