“June 7, 2026 at 2.10 (1.10 Polish time – ed.) a direct hit of an enemy attack unmanned aerial vehicle was recorded on the container reception building of the Central Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel state operator of nuclear power plants Enerhoatom near the town of Buryakivka in the Kiev Oblast. The distance from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is approximately 15 km,” the staff said in the Telegram messenger.
As noted, the facility is intended for long-term, safe storage of spent fuel from VVER nuclear reactors (Russian production – PAP) of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
As a result of the impact, the building was partially damaged and a fire broke out on an area of approximately 40 square meters. The fire was extinguished within an hour.
“The remains of a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle were found at the site. Currently, the radiation level remains normal, and rescuers and all services involved continue to monitor the situation and perform their tasks,” the General Staff reported. Enerhoatom also issued a similar announcement.
Both the company and the headquarters said that according to the findings so far, no one was killed or injured in the incident.
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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted that Russia knowingly attacked this nuclear infrastructure facility. “At this time, no radiation limits have been exceeded. However, all limits of Russian insolence have been clearly exceeded and have long since reached unimaginable levels,” he wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian head of state emphasized that new, real actions by the international community are needed “to make Russians feel that their terrorist war is also hitting Russia.”
IAEA experts are going to the site
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was informed by Ukraine about a drone attack on a spent fuel storage facility in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl. She announced that her experts would soon go there to assess the effects of the attack on the spot.
“The attack caused significant damage to the fuel receiving building – including the facade, windows and doors – and the shock wave also affected nearby buildings. According to Ukraine, radiation levels at the facility remain within established limits. The IAEA Chernobyl team will visit the facility soon to assess the effects of the attack,” the agency reported on the X platform.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, quoted in the statement, emphasized that attacks on nuclear facilities are completely unacceptable and violate key principles of nuclear security, in particular the IAEA Seven Essential Pillars of Nuclear Security and Physical Protection in times of armed conflict.
