Russian forces attack Ukraine institute which has an experimental reactor, official says

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, has seen some of the heaviest shelling since Moscow launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

World

1 min read

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

10 March, 2022

Ukraine's nuclear power plants have been threatened by Russia's relentless bombardment of Ukraine. (Getty Images)

Russian planes bombed an institute in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv that is home to an experimental nuclear reactor and a neighbouring hostel is on fire, a senior Ukrainian official said on Thursday.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the minister of internal affairs, said in an online post that the Institute of Physics and Technology contained "sources of radiation used for scientific purposes".

#Russia warplanes have bombed the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which contains an experimental nuclear reactor, according to @Gerashchenko7.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) March 10, 2022

The Interfax Ukraine news agency said the fire service was extinguishing a blaze in a five-story hostel which covered a total of 100 square metres (1,100 square feet).

The Ukrainian parliament's official website had earlier said fighting close to the institute was continuing.

Russian forces last week captured the nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia after an attack during which an adjacent training facility was set on fire.