Ukraine's president told Joe Biden that Russia's attack on the tower was part of a plan to make the city “uninhabitable.”
A Russian missile attack that destroyed half of a 240-meter (787-foot) high television tower in Kharkiv was part of a deliberate effort by the Russian government to make Ukraine's second-largest city uninhabitable, Volodymyr's government said. President Zelenskiy said.
On Monday, dramatic video footage showed the main mast of the city's television tower snapping and falling to the ground, after weeks of missile and drone attacks.
Zelenskiy said he told U.S. President Joe Biden about the airstrike minutes before the call.
“It is Russia's clear intention to make the city uninhabitable,” he said, according to the call published on the messaging application Telegram.
The northeastern city of Kharkiv, with a population of 1.3 million and just 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, has become an easy target for ballistic missiles and other weapons as Ukraine's air defenses weaken. There is.
Since Russia began targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure last month, the country's power facilities have been particularly hard hit.
“Currently, there are interruptions in the digital television signal,” said regional governor Ole Sinyevov.
There were no casualties as workers at the scene were evacuated, he added.
The National Special Communications Agency said the tower's structure was “partially damaged” in what prosecutors said was an apparent attack by a Kh-59 cruise missile.
He said TV signals were “temporarily” out and restoration efforts were underway, and urged residents in cities and regions without digital TV signals to use cable TV, online TV or radio.
Russia first attacked Kharkiv's television tower several times in early March 2022, shortly after launching a full-scale invasion. At that time, the signal was lost.
Moscow has recently stepped up its attacks, but Ukraine suffers from a lack of air defense capabilities. Kharkiv and the surrounding region experienced the most intense strikes.
