On Monday, Russian soldiers attacked the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power station in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, but the reactors were not damaged and continue to function normally, Reuters reported
According to Ukraine’s nuclear state company Energoatom, a blast occurred 300 metres distant from the reactors and damaged power plant premises just after midnight. The attack also destroyed a neighbouring hydroelectric power station and transmission wires.
“Currently, all three power units of the PNPP (Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant) are operating normally. Fortunately, there were no casualties among the station staff,” Energoatom said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the Telegram messaging service strike: “The invaders wanted to strike, but they had forgotten what a nuclear power plant is. Russia puts the entire world in danger. We must put a stop to it before it is too late.”
In recent weeks, Russian soldiers have begun launching rockets toward the Mykolaiv area. In addition, another Ukrainian nuclear power station, Zaporizhzhia, which is Europe’s largest and is around 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of the Mykolaiv complex, was shut down earlier this month due to Russian bombardment, raising fears of a catastrophic disaster.
Russia and Ukraine have accused one other for shelling at the Zaporizhzhia facility, which is under Russian control but is run by Ukrainian personnel. Buildings have been destroyed, and electrical cables have been interrupted due to the shelling.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog said this weekend that one of the four major power lines at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex had been restored and was now sending energy to the plant from the Ukrainian grid.