MELTDOWN

Russian Missile Strikes Within 1,000 Feet of Ukrainian Nuclear Reactors

The explosion was at a different Ukrainian power plant to the one that's been shelled in recent months.

A Russian missile struck alarmingly close to the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant early Monday, Ukrainian officials said. The worrying blast shortly after midnight comes after months of shelling at the Kremlin-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant around 300 miles away which has provoked concern of a nuclear accident from international observers. The missile hit less than 1,000 feet from the South Ukraine plant’s reactors and damaged a hydroelectric power station nearby, forcing a shutdown of the latter. The nuclear plant’s essential safety systems were thankfully left intact, allowing the reactors to keep running, Ukrainian nuclear energy company Energoatom said. No casualties were immediately reported in the attack. The energy firm on Monday released a black-and-white video of the “powerful explosion” on social media platform Telegram, adding that 100 windows were broken in its shockwave.