Russian Strike Collapses Kharkiv's TV Tower in Ukraine

A television tower in Kharkiv, Ukraine, was struck by a missile and collapsed on Monday, according to multiple reports. The exact cause of the collapse is not clear, but videos circulating on social media show the moment the mast broke, rotated 180 degrees, and fell to the ground. Smoke could be seen billowing from the structure before it fell. The tower, which is approximately 240 meters tall, was erected in the early 1980s when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly told U.S. President Joe Biden about the airstrike and accused Russia of attempting to make Kharkiv uninhabitable. Local officials also reported a barrage by Russian forces, and images on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing around the large antenna and its upper half crashing to the ground. Governor Oleh Syniehubov described it as an attack on a television infrastructure facility.