Drone strike damages nuclear storage site near Chernobyl: Kyiv
Ukraine’s General Staff said the Russian Shahed drone crashed into a building inside the central spent fuel storage facility in Chernobyl’s exclusion zone. It was stated that the small fire that broke out due to the strike was extinguished within an hour.
Russia did not immediately comment on the claim.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was informed about the incident and that its team would examine the area and assess the damage.
Located approximately 14.5 km from the Chernobyl power plant, the facility stores nuclear fuel obtained from Ukraine’s operated nuclear power plants.
The IAEA said the attack caused serious damage, including the façade, windows and doors of the fuel receiving building, and nearby structures were also affected by the blast wave.
Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom said radiation levels at the facility remained within normal limits. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “extremely despicable” and said he had informed Ukraine’s international partners about the incident. “There are no readings that exceed normal background radiation levels,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the attack reflected “an increase in Russia’s arrogance.”
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the incident was “deeply concerning” because it occurred in an area containing large amounts of stored nuclear material. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of systematically endangering nuclear security and said such actions were “deliberate and unacceptable.”
