Russian Drone Strikes Chernobyl Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility, Causing Damage

A Russian Shahed drone struck a nuclear fuel storage facility near the mothballed Chernobyl power plant north of Kyiv. The Ukrainian military reported the drone hit a building within the central spent fuel storage facility in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, causing a small fire that was extinguished within an hour.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed of the attack and plans to inspect the damage. The strike caused significant damage to the facility’s fuel reception building, affecting the facade, windows, and doors, with nearby buildings also impacted by the blast wave. Ukraine confirmed radiation levels remain within established limits.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the strike as «extremely vile,» noting an increase in Russia’s brazenness despite normal background radiation levels. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed deep concern due to the facility containing large amounts of nuclear material. This incident follows a week after Russia claimed a Ukrainian drone hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.