On June 7, a Russian attack drone targeted a nuclear-fuel storage facility located near Chornobyl, causing notable damage to a building that is responsible for receiving spent reactor fuel. This facility lies about nine miles from the site of the infamous Chornobyl disaster. Although significant structural damage was reported, Ukrainian authorities confirmed that radiation levels remained stable and no injuries occurred.
This drone attack utilized a Shahed drone, which is also referred to as the Geran-2 in Russia. The specific target was the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility, positioned approximately 14 kilometers from the decommissioned Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
In response to this incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attack, characterizing it as a severe and intentional threat to crucial nuclear infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has not made any public comments regarding the assault.
The International Atomic Energy Agency expressed significant concern over the incident, stating that it raises alarms about nuclear safety within the exclusion zone surrounding Chornobyl. They have been formally updated on the matter and plan to send inspectors to assess the site to ensure that safety protocols are being upheld and that the containment systems within the facility remain uncompromised.
Russian drone attacks on nuclear-related structures near Chornobyl are not unprecedented. A similar event occurred on February 14, 2025, when a drone impacted the New Safe Confinement structure, which protects the radioactive remnants of the Reactor 4 meltdown from 1986. That attack caused damage to the containment framework without resulting in any radiation release.
Since the outset of the full-scale invasion, the Chornobyl exclusion zone has become a focal point of tensions. Russian forces occupied this area in February 2022 before retreating weeks later, with reports of soldiers digging trenches in contaminated soils. The IAEA has maintained an active presence in Ukraine throughout the conflict, continuously monitoring various nuclear facilities, including Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.