Chernobyl reactor shield hit by Russian drone, Ukraine says
14 Feb 2025
A Russian drone attack has hit the radiation shelter protecting Chernobyl's damaged nuclear reactor, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The overnight strike at the nuclear plant, which is the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, caused a fire that has since been extinguished, he added. Russia has not yet commented.
As of Friday morning, radiation levels had not increased at the plant, Zelensky said.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said fire safety personnel and vehicles responded within minutes of an overnight explosion. No casualties were reported, the agency added.
The IAEA, which monitors nuclear safety around the world, said radiation levels inside and outside Chernobyl remain normal and stable.
The agency remains on "high alert" after the incident, with its director general Rafael Mariano Grossi saying there is "no room for complacency".
In 1986, a catastrophic explosion at Chernobyl sent a plume of radioactive material into the air, triggering a public health emergency across Europe.
Zelensky posted footage on X appearing to show damage to the giant shield, made of concrete and steel, which covers the remains of the reactor that lost its roof in the explosion.