Russian forces have blown up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, as the Russian invasion into the European nation continues into the fourth day.
A video of the fire from where the pipeline is located was shared by eyewitnesses to the incident.
Ukrainian State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection confirmed that the bombing of its pipeline warned that the explosion could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.
Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Iryna Venediktova said the Russian forces have been unable to take Kharkiv where a fierce battle is underway.
However, at the same time, the Telegram channel of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection warned against misinformation, saying this was not a nuclear strike, although the explosion was visually similar to that.
Heavy shelling was reported in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine in the early hours of Sunday.
Russian missiles even hit the Ukrainian town of Vasylkiv southwest of Kyiv, setting an oil terminal ablaze.
Photographs and videos posted online showed large flames rising in the night sky.
Soon after, a radioactive waste disposal site near Kyiv was also hit by an airstrike, but the storage facilities were not damaged, Ukraine’s nuclear agency said. However, there was no evidence of a leak.
The incident happened at about 1:20 am (local time) on Sunday when a radioactive waste disposal site of the State Specialized Enterprise “Radon” was hit by missiles.
NRIU said the automated radiation monitoring system at the site had failed, but measurements taken with portable devices in Kyiv found that radiation levels were normal.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com