Ukraine War: Video Shows Scary Eruption After Russia’s Alleged Attack on Nuclear Plant

Russian soldiers hit the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power facility in southern Ukraine early Monday, but its reactors are functioning normally, Ukraine's nuclear company said.

Shortly after midnight, a blast destroyed power plant structures and occurred 300 yards from the reactors, according to a statement from Energoatom.

The attack also damaged a neighboring hydroelectric power plant and transmission wires, according to a report from Reuters.

The Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant's three power units are all now "operating normally." The Ukrainian company also reported that nobody from the station employees was hurt. It released two images of a crater caused by the explosion. A guy stepped within the crater in one of the images to demonstrate its immensity.

The area around Mykolaiv has been under constant rocket attacks by Russian forces for the past few weeks.

A second Ukrainian nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, the biggest in Europe and located roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of the Mykolaiv complex, was forced to shut down earlier this month due to Russian bombardment, raising fears of a potential nuclear accident.

The shelling at the Zaporizhzhia facility, which is seized by Russian soldiers but run by Ukrainian employees, has been blamed on both Russia and Ukraine. Buildings and electricity lines have been affected by the bombardment.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Repaired

One of the four major power lines at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor had been restored, according to the UN nuclear watchdog. It resumed supplying the plant with electricity from the Ukrainian grid.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia endangers the world.

Pres. Zelensky said on a social media post: "The invaders wanted to shoot again, but they forgot what a nuclear power plant is. Russia endangers the whole world. We have to stop it before it's too late."

The Russian government hasn't responded to the latest allegations in the Russia Ukraine war.

Currently, the Russian armed forces are in control of that complex.

In other updates, the Kremlin denied Monday that Russian forces committed war crimes in Izium, where 400 dead were uncovered.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian detectives exhuming shallow graves uncovered evidence of torture and execution, including individuals with their wrists bound. They claimed that Russian soldiers had committed war crimes, per a DW report.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov compared the situation to Bucha in April.

"It's a lie, and of course we will defend the truth in this story," the official said.

Russian Forces Not Doing Well in Ukraine

Meanwhile, CNBC reported US Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed things are currently not going well for Russia in Ukraine.

Because of this, he continued, Putin may become unpredictable, therefore Western troops must exercise caution.

"The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it's incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert," Milley said. "In the conduct of war, you just don't know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next."

The general continued, saying that while preparedness is crucial, he wasn't implying that American forces stationed in Europe were under increasing threat.

With the quick counteroffensives in recent weeks that saw Ukrainian forces reclaim large portions of the country's northeast, Russia's activities in Ukraine have suffered grave defeats.

Tags

Ukraine, Russia, United States, Nuclear, United Nations