Russian troops struck a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine early Monday, but officials with Energoatom, the state nuclear company, said the reactors were not damaged and remain operational.
A rocket landed about 300 yards from the reactor at the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant shortly after midnight, company officials said in a message posted on the Telegram social media site.
The rocket strike damaged several buildings at the nuclear facility and at a nearby hydroelectric power plant, company officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the blast also shattered windows at the plant and caused a “short-term” power outage.
“The invaders wanted to shoot again, but they forgot what a nuclear power plant is,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a Facebook post after the attack. “Russia endangers the whole world. We have to stop it before it’s too late.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether there were any injuries from the Russian rocket strike.
The state of Ukraine‘s vulnerable but extensive nuclear power network has become a global concern since the Russian invasion began in late February. A top-level U.N. delegation recently made an emergency visit to the giant Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to examine safety protocols. The area is in Russian hands but civilian Ukrainian workers continue to man the plant.
