A Russian drone struck the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in an attack overnight into Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The strike hit the concrete shelter that covers the plant’s destroyed former fourth power unit, sparking a fire that was later extinguished, he said. Chernobyl was the site of the 1986 disaster that spread radioactivity across parts of the Soviet Union and Europe.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, said that its team at the site heard a large explosion shortly before 2 a.m. local time Friday (7 p.m. ET Thursday).
Despite “significant” damage to the shelter, Zelensky said radiation levels have not increased. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service has also said radiation levels in the area remain within normal limits.
Later on Friday, Chernobyl’s chief engineer Oleksandr Tytarchuk said, “The shelter ceased to fulfill its function” following the damage, according to Ukrainian state media Ukrinform.
“There is a potential risk of radioactive substances being released due to certain actions that may occur at the old shelter facility,” Tytarchuk said.
While Tytarchuk also emphasized that the situation is currently under control he added that repairs may require significant time and effort.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscow was not behind the attack.
“Most likely, this is yet another provocation,” Peskov told reporters. “This is exactly the kind of thing the Kyiv regime is known for and sometimes does not hesitate to do.”
Russia has repeatedly been accused by Ukrainian and IAEA officials of risking a major nuclear incident during the conflict. During intense fighting near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in early 2022, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said “every principle of nuclear safety” had been “violated.”
Friday’s reported attack comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump held what Trump described as “lengthy and highly productive” telephone call ahead of potential peace talks aimed at bringing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine to an end after nearly three years of grueling war.
In a boost to the Kremlin, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told European leaders in Brussels on Wednesday that Ukraine joining NATO – one of Kyiv’s key requests – is not a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement, and that European security is no longer an American priority.
Other Trump administration officials have, however, taken a tougher stance. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance said the option of sending US troops to Ukraine was “on the table,” as well as economic punishment if a peace deal doesn’t guarantee Kyiv’s long-term independence.
Unit 4 at Chernobyl – near Ukraine’s border with Belarus – exploded in 1986, sparking a radioactive disaster. The reactor was later encased in a concrete and steel sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus was the work of an international coalition and took decades to build. It was finally finished in 2017 and weighs 35,000 tons.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, noted that the US “invested a lot of money and effort” in the sarcophagus, which was completed during Trump’s first term.
Ahead of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Yermak said that Ukraine “will give a lot of information to our American partners” about the overnight attack, and the “threats” to nuclear safety he said Russia poses.
The IAEA said its team responded to the explosion within minutes and that no casualties were reported.
Ukraine’s military reported that Russia launched 133 drones across the country in its overnight attack, 73 of which were shot down and 58 of which did not reach their target. The numbers are broadly in line with the recent average of drone attacks. The military said drones were shot down in 11 regions, covering much of the country.
The incident came hours before the beginning of the high-level Munich Security Conference, where Vance is set to meet with Zelensky.
Trump’s unexpected phone call with Putin on Wednesday also sparked fears in Europe of a “dirty deal” being struck to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow without Kyiv’s involvement.
Zelensky said the nightly drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure meant that Putin “is definitely not preparing for negotiations — he is preparing to continue deceiving the world.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Anna Chernova and Victoria Butenko contributed reporting.
