Kviy: Amid global efforts to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a sensational claim that a Russian drone attacked the Chernobyl nuclear plant. However, radiation levels are said to be normal.
The IAEA said that the attack caused a fire at the plant. Zelensky said that a Russian drone struck the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant last Thursday night. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service later confirmed that radiation levels remained within normal limits.
‘Damage is significant’
In a post on X, he wrote, “Last night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the shelter protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. “
“The shelter at the Chornobyl NPP was damaged by this drone. The fire has been extinguished, ” he added. “As of now, radiation levels have not increased and are being constantly monitored. According to initial assessments, the damage to the shelter is significant, ” Zelensky wrote.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also wrote on X that its team at the Chernobyl plant, shortly before 2 am local time, “heard a loud explosion from the New Safe Confinement, which protects the remains of Reactor 4 of the former Chernobyl power plant, indicating a fire.” The IAEA said they were “informed that a UAV (drone) had struck the roof of the power plant.”
Chernobyl’s dark history
A massive explosion also occurred in 1986 at Chernobyl’s Unit 4 reactor, near Ukraine’s border with Belarus, spreading radioactivity on a large scale across the Soviet Union and parts of Europe. It was later sealed within a concrete and steel sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was the result of an international coalition and took decades to build. It was finally completed in 2017 and weighs 35,000 tons.
On Thursday night, the Ukrainian military claimed that Russia launched 133 drones over Ukraine, of which 73 were shot down and 58 failed to reach their targets. These numbers are roughly in line with the recent average of drone attacks. Drones were intercepted in 11 regions, covering most of the country.
Peace talks undermined
This attack comes at a time when peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are underway. Since Donald Trump assumed the US presidency, discussions on peace have intensified. Peace efforts have gained momentum in the past one or two days; however, this attack by Russia could escalate the conflict. After the strike, panic has spread across Ukraine and Europe. There are fears that a nuclear reactor leak could put all of Europe at risk. A disaster on such a scale could result in major loss of life, reminiscent of the devastation seen in Japan during World War 2.
