A Russian drone has struck the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, hitting the protective structure that shields the radioactive remains of the reactor destroyed in the 1986 disaster.
Footage released by the Ukrainian president's office captures the moment the drone impacts the structure, causing significant damage.
According to officials, the attack involved a long-range drone equipped with an explosive payload. Despite the destruction, Ukrainian authorities confirm that radiation levels around the site remain unchanged.
President Zelensky condemned the strike, linking it to Russia’s ongoing assaults on civilian infrastructure and military build-up, arguing that such actions prove Putin is not seeking peace negotiations.
The damaged structure is a massive steel dome covering the old concrete sarcophagus, which entombs over 200 tons of solidified radioactive lava, dust, and nuclear fuel left behind from the 1986 catastrophe.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the drone strike hit the sarcophagus but reassured that radiation levels inside and outside the structure remain stable, with no casualties reported.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that this incident, along with increased military activity near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, highlights ongoing nuclear security risks in Ukraine.
Last night, a Russian drone carrying a high-explosive warhead struck the protective structure shielding the world from radiation at the destroyed fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, President Zelensky said. Photo: PAP/DSNS Ukraine PAP/International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA
The Chernobyl plant, which suffered a catastrophic explosion in 1986 contaminating large parts of Europe, ceased operations in 2000, and its damaged reactor is now sealed under protective structures known as the "Sarcophagus" and the "Arch."
The sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, damaged by a Russian drone strike., Chernobyl, Ukraine, February 14, 2025. The site, infamous for the 1986 nuclear disaster, now faces new threats amid ongoing tensions. Photo: PAP/DSNS Ukraine PAP/International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA
A Russian drone has struck the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, hitting the protective structure that shields the...
Opublikowany przez Radio Poland Piątek, 14 lutego 2025
Source: IAR/PAP/X/@ZelenskyyUa/Facebook/Radio Poland
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