Russian drone hits Chernobyl’s new safe confinement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported a Russian drone strike on the already destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant. According to Zelensky, the drone, carrying a high-explosive warhead, hit the protective shelter over the plant's infamous 4th reactor.

Despite the damage and a resulting fire—now extinguished—radiation levels remain normal, as confirmed by Ukraine's State Emergency Service.

In a video shared by Zelensky, a bright flash followed by a column of smoke marks the site of the strike. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted that its team at Chernobyl heard an explosion before 2 a.m. local time, reportedly caused by the drone impacting the New Safe Confinement (NSC) roof, which protects the remains of the reactor.

Reactor 4's 1986 meltdown at Chernobyl unleashed radioactive material across parts of the Soviet Union and Europe, leading to an international effort to encase it in a massive concrete and steel structure completed in 2017.

This drone attack is part of a larger offensive, with the Ukrainian military reporting 133 drones launched by Russia that night, 73 intercepted, and the remaining failing to hit their targets.

The incident occurred just as the high-level Munich Security Conference began, where U.S. Vice President JD Vance is slated to meet Zelensky. This follows a controversial statement by former President Donald Trump about imminent peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, stemming from a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Zelensky insists that ongoing attacks indicate Putin's intentions to continue hostilities, not engage in peace talks.