Everything I'm seeing from several sources indicate that not only was the plant operational it was producing a large percentage of Ukraine's electricity.
Why do you say it was not operational?
There are several Ukrainian sources saying the plant was not operational.
Read through the thread slowly.
I cannot believe, even in Ukraine, with hostile armed troops advancing, that the plant would not be scrammed while it was still safe to do so.
I cannot believe they would be so idiotic as to have the control rods out of the cores and generating power as armed troops approached, even it it meant cutting off power to large populated areas.
Even they couldn’t be stupid enough to keep those things online as armed troops got within 20 miles.
You shut them down while you can.
Once you do that, and you have the rods inserted, there are two major worries: a direct hit that penetrates the containment vessel, or if you have fission byproducts hanging around, a hit on one of those turning an artillery shell into a dirty bomb.