Russian Drone ‘Struck’ Chernobyl Cover, No Radiation Increase: Zelensky

AFP | Moscow
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported yesterday that a Russian drone had struck a cover designed to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, though he reassured the public that radiation levels remained normal.

The Ukrainian air force confirmed that Russia had launched 133 drones overnight, including attack drones targeting northern regions, where the Chernobyl plant is located. Zelensky stated, “Last night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the cover protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.”

Zelensky's comments came ahead of a scheduled meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in Germany, where they were expected to discuss Ukraine’s position before the new US administration, which seeks to end the nearly three-year-old conflict swiftly.

The Ukrainian president further suggested that the attack was evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “definitely not preparing for negotiations,” but rather preparing to continue “deceiving the world.”

CCTV footage shared by Zelensky showed a blast on the side of the Chernobyl structure, timestamped at 02:02 am (0002 GMT).

The Kremlin, however, denied targeting Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure. “There is no question of any strikes on such nuclear infrastructure sites. Any claims that this was the case do not correspond to reality. The Russian military does not do this,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, although he admitted he did not have “exact information” regarding the reported strike on Chernobyl.