Russian Drone Strikes Nuclear Fuel Storage Near Chornobyl
A Russian Shahed drone deliberately struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, damaging a fuel-reception building. Radiation levels remain normal, but the IAEA is dispatching inspectors as world leaders sound the alarm.
A Russian Shahed drone deliberately struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone overnight into Sunday, June 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement, calling it an “extremely vile” attack.
What Happened
According to Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom, the drone struck the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility at approximately 2:10 a.m. local time. The attack partially destroyed a container reception building, though no spent nuclear fuel was being stored there at the time of impact.
A fire covering roughly 40 square meters broke out following the strike but was later extinguished. No personnel were injured, and radiation monitoring confirmed background levels remained normal.
International Response
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the drone attack caused “significant damage to the facility’s fuel reception building” and announced it would dispatch an expert team to inspect the site. Ukraine’s Security Service opened a war crimes investigation into the strike.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said it would inform international partners about the incident and expects “strong condemnation around the world and increased pressure on the aggressor.”
Context and Escalation
This is not the first time Russian forces have targeted the Chornobyl zone. In February 2025, a Russian Shahed drone damaged a containment arch over the Chornobyl reactor destroyed in the 1986 disaster. Kyiv and Moscow have also traded accusations of attacking the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
The strike comes amid an intensifying exchange of attacks. Russia struck 13 civilian facilities across Ukraine overnight, while Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at targets in Russia, including around St. Petersburg during the city’s economic forum.
What Comes Next
Zelensky is traveling to London for emergency talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The leaders are expected to discuss military support for Kyiv and next steps as the war’s nuclear dimension draws global alarm.
Energoatom warned that the strike “has once again shown the world the true face of the Kremlin regime, which deliberately poses threats to nuclear and radiation safety.”