Russian Missile May Have Been Aimed For Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine Says

A Russian missile that struck a residential building may have been intended for Ukraine's second biggest nuclear power plant, the country's atomic energy enterprise has said.

Energoatom described Saturday's attack on a five-story building in Voznesensk in the Mykolaiv region as "another act of Russian nuclear terrorism."

"It is possible that this missile was aimed specifically at the Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant [PNNP], which the Russian military tried to seize back at the beginning of March," Energoatom said in a statement, Reuters reported.

"The invaders have been ruthlessly roaming the southern region of Ukraine, destroying its infrastructure and sparing no one," the statement added.

Regional governor Vitaliy Kim, wrote on Telegram that four children aged three to 17 were among the nine people injured, although there were other reports of up to 12 casualties.

Regional council head Hanna Zamazeyeva shared images of the aftermath of the strike on her Telegram social media channel, adding that there were no military facilities in the area.

She said that "two children injured in the shelling are undergoing emergency operations...in Voznesensk," while the third child with serious injuries has been taken to the regional aid center. More than 6,000 residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Mykolaiv region since the war began, Ukrainian news outlet Ukrinform reported.

Russia has repeatedly denied it fires at civilian targets, despite evidence from international observers to the contrary.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry over the latest allegations by Ukraine.

There were no reports of any damage to the Pivdennoukrainsk plant which is less than 20 miles away from the damaged apartment block but the danger of shelling and strikes near nuclear facilities in Ukraine has caused alarm internationally.

The town of Enerhodar, where Europe's largest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia is located, has come under repeated shelling, with Moscow and Kyiv blaming each other for the attacks.

Russia has dismissed a U.N. proposal by Secretary General António Guterres to demilitarize the area around the plant, as employees at the facility have warned of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts to visit the nuclear plant which was captured by Russia soon after the start of the war.

Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of plotting a potential "false flag" attack on the nuclear power plant, as international concerns grew over the risk of an accident similar to the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl.

However, nuclear experts have said that Zaporizhzhia's plant has a much more robust design than Chernobyl's.