Ukraine: Missile Severs Kharkiv TV Tower
A 240-metre television tower in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has been severed in two, with its upper section collapsing to the ground. Images obtained by Reuters provide visual confirmation of the damage, kyivindependent.com reported.
Local officials suspect the damage was caused by a Russian missile strike targeting the television infrastructure, according to news agency Agerpres.
Television broadcasts across Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, have been interrupted. The city has endured heavy bombardment by Russian rockets and drones in recent weeks.
"Currently, there are disruptions to the digital television signal," announced Oleh Siniehubov, the governor of the region. Fortunately, there were no casualties as staff had taken shelter, he added.
Footage from the scene shows the main mast of the tower snapping and collapsing, sending a plume of smoke into the sky. While the exact cause of the damage to the top of the tower remains unclear from the available footage, prosecutors in Kharkiv allege that Russia likely employed a Kh-59 cruise missile in the attack.
The video recording has been verified by cross-referencing it with a recording from another angle that captures the same moment of the tower's upper section collapsing.
This is not the first time Russia has targeted the Kharkiv TV tower. In early March 2022, shortly after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia carried out multiple attacks on the tower, which resulted in the interruption of television broadcasts at that time.
Moscow has recently intensified its attacks as Ukraine grapples with a lack of adequate air defence capabilities. Kharkiv and the surrounding region have borne the brunt of these attacks.
Last week, approximately twelve Ukrainian satellite television channels were forced to suspend broadcasting after experiencing interference with their signals. Some of these channels were jammed and subsequently broadcast pro-Russian propaganda material until their owners managed to regain control, according to the EFE news agency.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
