Sept 20,2022:Ukraine has accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism” following a missile attack near an atomic plant as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed further gains in an eastern counteroffensive saying invading Russian troops were “clearly in a panic”.
The Russian missile struck within 300 metres (328 yards) of the reactors at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk in southern Mykolaiv province on Monday, leaving a hole 2 metres (6.5 feet) deep and 4 metres (13 feet) wide, according to Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom.
The reactors were operating normally and no employees were injured, it said.
The proximity of the strike, however, has renewed fears that Russia’s nearly seven-month-long war in Ukraine might produce a radiation disaster.
This nuclear power station is Ukraine’s second-largest after the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has repeatedly come under fire.
Following recent battlefield setbacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened last week to step up Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. Throughout the war, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s electricity generation and transmission equipment, causing blackouts and endangering the safety systems of the country’s nuclear power plants.
The industrial complex that includes the South Ukraine plant sits along the Southern Bug River about 300km (190 miles) south of the capital, Kyiv. The attack also caused the temporary shutdown of a nearby hydroelectric power plant, shattered more than 100 windows at the complex and severed three power lines, Ukrainian authorities said.
