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Kiev calls attack deliberate and "extremely low"; authorities confirm radiation levels remain normal...
A Russian Shahed drone has caused significant damage to a building used to store spent nuclear fuel near the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as deliberate and “extremely low-level.”
According to Ukrainian authorities, the target hit was the reception building of the spent nuclear fuel storage complex. At the time of the attack, there were no containers with nuclear material in the building. However, hitting such a sensitive facility is seen as a political signal from Moscow, at a time when both sides have intensified long-range air strikes.
"So far there is no increase in radiation levels. But there is a clear increase in Russia's arrogance, which is already at very high levels," Zelenskyy said after the attack, which occurred at around 2:00 a.m. He described the facility as part of Ukraine's critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on the X platform that this is not the first time that Russian forces have put Ukraine's nuclear facilities at risk. According to him, "Russia's nuclear blackmail and threats to nuclear security are systematic, deliberate and unacceptable."
The spent fuel storage facility is located about 15 kilometers from the Chernobyl power plant, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history in 1986.
A fire broke out after the attack, covering an area of about 40 square meters, but emergency crews quickly brought it under control. No injuries were reported. Ukraine's state nuclear power company, Energoatom, said radiation levels in the area remained within normal limits.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that its experts are preparing to visit the site. According to the agency, the material damage is considerable, but no increase in radiation has been detected.
The centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility is designed for the long-term storage of used fuel from Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, the drone war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate. On Saturday, Ukraine launched a long-range strike on the historic naval city of Kronstadt near St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down 500 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours.
The Kremlin has warned that it may expand attacks on strategic targets and decision-making centers in Ukraine. So far, Russian authorities have not publicly commented on the attack on the facility near Chernobyl.
In February 2025, another Russian drone damaged the protective structure covering the destroyed Chernobyl reactor. Russia denied responsibility for that incident.
Energoatom stated that the latest attack "once again showed the world the true face of the Kremlin regime, which deliberately creates threats to nuclear and radiological security."
Kiev and Moscow also continue to accuse each other of attacks on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which is under Russian control in southeastern Ukraine.
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