Russia strikes again at Chernobyl: A Shahed drone crashed near the nuclear fuel depot. What is the radiation level
A Shahed drone launched by Russian forces hit the perimeter of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on the night of June 7, partially damaging a building of the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSSF), according to the Ukrainian operator Energoatom.
A Russian drone hit the nuclear fuel depot Photo: Energoatom
The impact occurred around 02:10 and caused a fire of approximately 40 square meters in a container reception building. The intervention teams were able to quickly extinguish the fire without it spreading.
Ukrainian authorities stated that there was no spent nuclear fuel in the affected area at the time of the attack. Also, no personnel casualties were recorded.
Energoatom reported that radiation monitoring indicates values within normal limits, and the facility's critical structures were not significantly compromised. Specialists are currently assessing the extent of material damage.
“The center of the fire, with an area of 40 square meters, was located promptly and completely eliminated. There are no injuries among the personnel. The radiation situation at the site of the Central Nuclear Fuel and Energy Storage Facility remains within normal limits”Energoatom mentioned, according to focus.
The incident was also confirmed by Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, who described the attack as a “deliberate” on a nuclear infrastructure and called for increased international pressure on Russia.
“An extremely despicable Russian attack. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy and all of our services are already working to ensure that each of our partners knows what happened. To date, there is no breach of the radiation background norms. But there is certainly an breach of even Russia's already outrageous audacityZelensky said.
The attack comes amid intensifying strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with experts repeatedly warning of heightened risks to nuclear facilities amid the war.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly emphasized the need to protect these objectives.
Ukrainian authorities continue to monitor the situation, and the investigation into the consequences of the attack is ongoing.
