Russian drone strikes Chornobyl reactor shelter, causing significant damage – Zelenskyy

“This shelter was built by Ukraine together with other European and global partners, including America—everyone who truly cares about people’s safety. The only country in the world capable of attacking such sites, occupying nuclear power plants, and conducting military operations with complete disregard for the consequences is today’s Russia. This is a terrorist threat to the entire world,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

Zelenskyy confirmed that the shelter at Chornobyl was damaged by the drone, but the resulting fire was extinguished. He emphasized that radiation levels remained stable following the attack.

Initial assessments indicate the damage to the shelter is significant, the president added.

“Russia carries out these attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and cities every night. Russia continues expanding its army. Russia is not changing its deranged, anti-human rhetoric. This means that Putin is clearly not preparing for negotiations—he is preparing to continue deceiving the world,” Zelenskyy said.

He urged continued pressure on the aggressor, stressing that Russia must be held accountable for its actions.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, shared photos of the damage caused by the Russian attack.

Kovalenko noted that Russian forces are deliberately flying drones over Chornobyl, constantly experimenting with flight altitude and attempting to keep them as low as possible.

“They pose a nuclear threat to a world that has invested in Chornobyl’s safety. Moscow was responsible for the Chornobyl disaster, and now the same Moscow threatens the plant again,” he wrote.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service also released images showing the aftermath of the attack.

Earlier reports indicated that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, approximately 135,000 people have settled in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.