Ukraine has accused Russian forces of targeting a nuclear-related facility near the Chornobyl exclusion zone in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as an “extremely vile” attack, though authorities confirmed there was no rise in radiation levels following the strike.
According to Ukrainian officials, a Russian drone hit a spent nuclear fuel storage site located close to the decommissioned Chornobyl power plant in northern Ukraine. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been informed by Kyiv that a fuel-reception building, situated just metres from stored nuclear material, sustained significant damage.
Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom stated that no spent fuel was present inside the impacted structure at the time of the strike. Emergency crews extinguished a fire triggered by the explosion, and no casualties were reported. Radiation monitoring stations continued to show normal background levels, easing immediate fears of contamination.
President Zelensky said the strike involved a Russian Shahed drone and described it as a deliberate attack on critical infrastructure. “As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels,” he said, while warning of what he called increasing Russian aggression.
Russia has not issued a public response to the allegations.
The IAEA confirmed it is preparing to send a team to assess the damage and evaluate any potential risks at the site, which lies around 15 kilometres from the original Chornobyl nuclear plant. The area remains heavily monitored due to its radioactive legacy following the 1986 disaster.
This is not the first incident involving nuclear facilities in the war. Earlier in 2025, a Russian drone damaged a protective structure over the destroyed reactor at Chornobyl. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of endangering the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe.
The alleged strike comes amid continued drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. In separate incidents, Ukrainian authorities reported civilian deaths in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, including a minibus driver killed in a drone strike and another man killed during combined aerial bombardment. Several others were wounded, and infrastructure damage was reported.
Despite battlefield setbacks for Russian forces, the conflict continues to inflict economic strain and civilian casualties on both sides. Ukrainian military assessments suggest Kyiv regained more territory than it lost during May, while Russia faces growing domestic economic pressures, including inflation and labour shortages.
Diplomatic efforts remain stalled. President Zelensky has called for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and reiterated readiness for a full ceasefire. In response, Putin defended Russia’s economic position at a recent forum, rejecting claims of economic collapse and pointing to comparisons with European growth trends.
As hostilities continue, international concern is mounting over strikes near nuclear infrastructure and the wider risks of escalation in the ongoing war.
