Ukraine denounces that a Russian missile has been about to hit the main nuclear plant in the south of the country

MADRID, 5 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ukrainian authorities have denounced this Sunday that a Russian missile has passed dangerously close to the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant, in the south of the country, in an incident that they have directly described as an "act of nuclear terrorism".

The state nuclear energy operator, Energoatom, has specified that the incident occurred around 05:30 this morning when a Russian cruise missile, "similar to the 'Kalibr' model", flew over the plant at a "critical" proximity during a few moments before continuing his journey.

"The rocket was probably headed for kyiv, where explosions were heard this morning," Energoatom estimated on its Telegram channel. Several missiles have impacted this Sunday in the Ukrainian capital after weeks of relative calm and at least one person has been injured.

kyiv is about 350 kilometers north of the plant.

The Ukrainian operator has denounced that "Russia continues to represent a threat to the nuclear safety of Ukraine's nuclear power plants and threatens the world with a new nuclear catastrophe."

In the opinion of those responsible for Energoatom, the Russians "seem to still not understand that even the smallest fragment of a missile can cause a catastrophe if it ends up hitting a working unit" of a nuclear power plant.

A similar incident in April drew strong condemnation from the UN nuclear agency, which launched an investigation into it.

"A missile of this type could have seriously damaged the physical integrity of the nuclear power plant, which could lead to a nuclear accident," the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in a statement.