A Russian strike drone equipped with a high-explosive warhead hit the shelter above the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant last night.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported this.
As a result of the attack, the shelter at the Chernobyl NPP was damaged, but the fire has already been extinguished. According to Zelensky, the radiation levels have not increased, and monitoring is ongoing. Initial assessments indicate that the damage to the shelter is significant.
“This shelter was built by Ukraine together with other European and world countries, alongside America – with all those who desire true safety for people. The only state in the world that can attack such facilities, occupy the territory of nuclear plants, and engage in military actions without regard for the consequences is today’s Russia. This represents a terrorist threat to the entire world,” the president wrote.
The head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, published a photo of the sarcophagus after the drone strike.
In total, last night Russia attacked Ukraine with 133 strike drones launched from five directions, according to the Air Forces.
As of 8:30 AM, military officials confirmed the downing of 73 drones in Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions.
An additional 58 Russian drones were lost to radar (without negative consequences).
As a result of the attack, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv regions were affected.
Recall that in the fall, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the Russians were preparing attacks on critical nuclear energy facilities.
In September, Zelensky stated that the Russians were photographing Ukrainian nuclear power plants using Chinese satellites. It is possible that this is necessary for the preparation of strikes on NPPs.