A Russian Shahed drone has substantially damaged a building used to store spent nuclear fuel near the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear power plant, in what Ukraine's president described as a deliberate and 'extremely vile' attack.
Attack Details
The structure, the reception building of the spent fuel storage facility, was empty of containers at the time of the strike. The attack occurred at approximately 2 a.m. local time (midnight UK time). A fire covering about 40 square meters broke out but was extinguished. No personnel were injured.
Energoatom, the state nuclear power operator, confirmed that radiation levels at the site remained within normal limits. The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that its experts are preparing to visit the site, noting that while the strike caused significant damage, radiation levels remained within established levels.
Political Reactions
Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, stating: 'As of now, there is no heightening of radiation safety limits. But there is clearly a heightening of Russia's already sky-high arrogance. It was a critical infrastructure facility. And an extremely vile Russian attack.'
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, posted on X: 'This is not the first time Russian forces are putting Ukrainian nuclear facilities at risk. Russia's nuclear blackmail and threats to nuclear safety are systemic, deliberate, and unacceptable.'
Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz at a summit in London to discuss the ongoing conflict.
Context and Previous Incidents
The spent fuel storage facility is located about 9 miles from the Chornobyl plant, which was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. In February 2025, a Russian attack drone damaged a containment arch over the Chornobyl reactor destroyed in the 1986 explosion; Russia denied responsibility at that time.
Russia has not publicly commented on the latest attack. The Kremlin has threatened to escalate systematic attacks on key sites, including decision-making centers in Ukraine.
Kyiv and Moscow have also traded accusations over attacks on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, in southeastern Ukraine.
Other Attacks
Over the weekend, Russian bombardment of a public transport stop in the Zaporizhzhia region killed at least two people, while a nearby drone strike killed a 56-year-old minibus driver. A separate attack on Dnipro in central Ukraine killed a 59-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha.
On Saturday, a long-range Ukrainian strike targeted the historic naval town of Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg, as the city's economic forum was concluding. Russia's defense ministry claimed its air defenses had downed 500 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours.
Energoatom stated: 'The strike on a nuclear infrastructure facility has once again shown the world the true face of the Kremlin regime, which deliberately poses threats to nuclear and radiation safety.'
