The top section of a giant television tower in Kharkiv has crashed to the ground after the structure was hit by a Russian missile, a Ukrainian official says.
Video circulating on social media shows the moment the top of the mast broke, rotated through 180 degrees, and fell to earth.
Smoke could already be seen billowing from the structure where it had apparently been struck by what Kharkiv prosecutors said was a Kh-59 cruise missile.
Subsequent videos also posted on social media show the mast lying where it fell, surrounded by trees at the foot of the tower.
Kharkiv – located just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Russia – has seen a big increase in Russian strikes since the start of the year.
A month ago, the city’s main power plant was destroyed in a Russian strike, along with all electricity substations in the city, according to the mayor.
The US Senate is expected to vote this week on legislation worth $60 billion after it was approved in the House on the weekend.
The Pentagon has said it can get materiel moving “within days” of receiving the green light.
A Ukrainian official reports that a Russian missile struck a massive television tower in Kharkiv, causing the top section of the tower to fall to the ground.
Social media users have been sharing a video of the moment the top of the mast broke, turned 180 degrees, and fell to the ground. Prosecutors in Kharkiv claimed that the building had been hit by a Kh-59 cruise missile, and smoke was already visible billowing from the site.
The mast is seen in later videos that have also been shared on social media, lying in the trees at the base of the tower, exactly where it fell.
When Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union in the early 1980s, the structure—which was more than 240 meters high—was built.
The head of the military administration in the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, stated that no one had been hurt and that the tower’s employees had been inside the shelter during the attack. He said, “The city’s digital TV signal was experiencing disruptions.”.
Russia has increased its strikes in Kharkiv, which is only 30 kilometers (18 miles) from its border, since the beginning of the year.
The mayor stated that all of the city’s electrical substations and the primary power plant were destroyed in a Russian attack one month ago.
In a phone call with US President Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, disclosed to the latter the details of the TV tower attack and accused Russia of attempting to “make the city uninhabitable.”. “.
One reason Kyiv has made air defenses one of its top priorities for additional US military aid is the nearly daily barrages on the country’s second-largest city.
After being approved by the House over the weekend, legislation totaling $60 billion is expected to be put to a vote in the US Senate this week.
After giving the go-ahead, the Pentagon claims it can begin moving material “within days.”.
