Russian Drone Strikes Nuclear Fuel Facility near Chernobyl

A Russian drone struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility near the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian authorities said, adding that the incident caused no radiation leakage or injuries.

The Ukrainian General Staff and the state atomic energy agency said the attack damaged a building intended to receive containers of spent nuclear fuel. The structure was partially destroyed but contained no nuclear fuel at the time of the strike. A fire broke out after the attack and was subsequently extinguished. Radiation levels in the area remained stable, authorities said.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment. The affected facility is located about 15 km from the Chernobyl plant, where the worst nuclear accident in history occurred in 1986.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha described the strike as further evidence of Russia's threat to nuclear security, saying such actions were systematic and posed an unacceptable risk.

(reuters, max)