Nuclear disaster fears explode as ‘Russian drone strikes Chernobyl power plant’ | World | News
A Russian high-explosive drone hit the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, sparking nuclear disaster fears, according to Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a statement, he said: “A Russian strike drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the shelter that protects the world from the radiation of the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant this night. Ukraine built this shelter together with other countries in Europe and the world, together with America – with everyone who wants real security for people.”
The Ukrainian President added that the fire had been extinguished, but the damage was still “significant”.
Scientists are monitoring radiation levels to determine whether there have been any leaks. Currently, the radiation background remains normal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that there had been an attack on the power plant.
IAEA staff reported hearing a thunderous explosion as the drone hit the sarcophagus, protecting the damaged reactor number 4.
They said an initial inspection of the damage showed no breach to the reactor shell.
The agency also confirmed they had not detected any spike in radion either inside or outside the building but were continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Chornobyl was at the centre of a catastrophic nuclear disaster in April 1986 after a poorly planned experiment went badly wrong.
As a result, reactor four of the then-Soviet nuclear power plant exploded into a large ball of flames. The explosion blew off its heavy steel and concrete lid, releasing large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
Millions of acres of forest and farmland were contaminated, and although many thousands of people were evacuated, hundreds of thousands remained in contaminated areas.
Overnight on Thursday, Russia launched a barrage of drone attacks on Ukraine as it continues its campaign of aerial bombardments.
Ukraine‘s military reported that Russia fired 133 drones – 73 were shot down, and 58 did not reach their targets.
In his post, Zelensky said the continuing drone attacks showed that Putin “is definitely not preparing for negotiations — he is preparing to continue deceiving the world.”
The attack comes hours before Western leaders gather for the Munich Security Conference, with Europe’s fate hanging in the balance.
The conference will see meetings between key players, including Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Ukraine–Russia envoy Keith Kellogg.
