A Russian drone has crashed into the sarcophagus at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, causing damage to the shelter.
This was reported by IAEA and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to IAEA employees, around 1:50 AM on February 14, they heard an explosion near the New Safe Confinement that covers the damaged reactor. A drone crashed into the roof of the isolation structure, igniting a fire.
“Fire safety personnel and vehicles responded within minutes. Currently, there are no signs of a breach in the internal containment structure,” the IAEA stated.
At the same time, Zelensky noted that, according to initial assessments, the damage to the shelter is significant.
The radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable, and there have been no casualties.
“This shelter was built by Ukraine along with other countries in Europe and around the world, together with America — with all those who want true security for people. The only country in the world capable of attacking such facilities, occupying the territory of nuclear plants, and engaging in combat without regard for the consequences is today’s Russia. This poses a terrorist threat to the entire world,” Zelensky stated.
The Director General of the agency, Rafael Grossi, mentioned that the incident at Chernobyl and the recent increase in military activity around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant highlight the ongoing risks to nuclear safety. He assured that the IAEA remains in a state of heightened readiness.
Updated at 11:00. The spokesperson for the State Emergency Service, Svitlana Vodolaha, stated during a telethon that emergency responders discovered several locations with damage. Currently, there is no open fire, but efforts are ongoing to extinguish smoldering at one of the drone strike sites.
The situation at Chernobyl is under constant monitoring and remains within normal limits.
Updated at 10:16. The head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, shared how the attendees at the Munich Security Conference reacted to the strike. “The atmosphere right now is such that everyone is very angry about this news here in Munich. Not ‘concerned,’ as is often the case, but genuinely angry,” he stated.
More on the Attack
Russian occupiers attacked Ukraine on the night of February 14 with 133 strike drones of the Shahed type and imitation drones. Ukrainian military forces shot down 73 UAVs, while another 58 were lost to radar.
As a result of the enemy attack, the Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv regions were affected. In particular, in the Odesa region, the port infrastructure and a recreation base, which is currently not in operation, were damaged.