Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday that a Russian drone struck a radiation shield at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, though he reassured that "radiation levels have not increased."
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched over 100 drones overnight, including attack drones, targeting northern regions, including the Chernobyl area.
"Last night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the cover protecting the world from radiation at Chernobyl's destroyed 4th reactor," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
The remarks came just hours before Zelenskyy was set to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany to present Ukraine's case as the United States seeks to end the nearly three-year conflict.
The attack "is evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is definitely not preparing for negotiations – he is preparing to continue deceiving the world," Zelenskyy said.
CCTV footage posted by Zelenskyy showed a blast on the side of the Chernobyl structure, timestamped 02:02 a.m. (12:02 a.m. GMT). The video also showed a small fire and hole in the roof, with firefighters using a hose to put out the blaze inside the dome.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also reported an "explosion" at the site and said "radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable."
The agency, which has had a team deployed at Chernobyl since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, published images apparently showing the drone on fire after crashing into the covering.
The IAEA has repeatedly warned about the dangers of fighting around nuclear plants since Russia's full-scale military offensive into Ukraine in February 2022.
In the early days of the conflict, Russian forces briefly seized the Chernobyl plant and also captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, which it still controls.
In 1986, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded during a botched safety test, resulting in the world's worst nuclear accident, which sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
Soviet authorities initially tried to cover up and later downplay the disaster.
In November 2016, a massive metal dome was erected over the remains of the reactor, paid for with 2.1 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in international funding to prevent future leaks.
"The only country in the world that attacks such sites, occupies nuclear power plants and wages war without any regard for the consequences is today's Russia," Zelenskyy added in his statement.
There was no immediate response from Russia.
The apparent attack comes ahead of a series of highly anticipated meetings at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, where Zelenskyy is due to meet with Vance.
The talks come days after U.S. President Donald Trump stunned Kyiv and European allies by holding a lengthy phone call with Putin and announcing the two leaders had agreed to soon start Ukraine peace talks.
An advisor to Zelenskyy's chief of staff said the Ukrainian delegation would put the Chernobyl attack on the agenda with the U.S. and Ukraine's allies.
