Ukraine denounces a Russian attack on a Chernobyl waste disposal site

BarcelonaThe Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, denounced this Sunday a new Russian attack around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, with a drone impacting a nuclear waste storage facility. Analyses by Energoatom, the state nuclear operator, indicate, however, that there has been no radioactive leak. Ukrainian emergency teams have extinguished the fire caused by the drone's impact. There were no injuries.

“The Russians have once again attacked the restricted zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant today. A Shahed drone impacted a building in the temporary storage facility for nuclear waste. This is a highly critical infrastructure and an extremely vile Russian attack,” Zelensky said on his X account.

Zelensky added that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Energy are working to ensure all of Ukraine's partners are clear about what happened. “Russia has deliberately attacked nuclear infrastructure. So far, no increase in radiation has been measured, but there is undoubtedly an increase in Russian vileness,” he added.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, recalled on X that this is not an isolated incident. “It is not the first time that Russian forces have put Ukrainian nuclear facilities at risk. Russia's nuclear blackmail and its threats to nuclear safety are systematic, deliberate, and unacceptable.” In February 2025, a Russian attack drone damaged the containment arc of the Chernobyl reactor, which was destroyed in the explosion and core meltdown of 1986. Russia denied responsibility.

Long-term storage

The spent fuel storage facility is located about 14 kilometers from the Chernobyl power plant, which in 1986 was the scene of the worst nuclear accident in history. Specialized teams from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are preparing to visit the site, which has suffered significant damage. The facility is designed to ensure the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel from Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

On Saturday, a long-range Ukrainian attack targeted the historic naval city of Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg, as the city's prominent economic forum was nearing its end.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Sunday that its air defenses had shot down 500 Ukrainian drones in the last 24 hours, according to the Interfax agency. The Kremlin has threatened to intensify systematic attacks on key sites, including decision-making centers in Ukraine, following Saturday's Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Kronstadt. Kyiv and Moscow have also accused each other of attacking the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia and is the largest in Europe.