Ukrainian authorities said on Friday a Russian drone strike with a high explosive warhead struck the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant overnight, damaging a protective shield which was built following the 1986 disaster in order to prevent further radiation leaks.
Russia has denied any responsibility for the attack. The head of the UN-backed international atomic energy watchdog, IAEA – which has a team based at the former Soviet nuclear site in Ukraine – issued a statement confirming that the strike had caused a fire, describing it as “a deeply concerning incident that underlines the persistent risks to nuclear safety during the military conflict.”
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the team heard the explosion at 1:50am local time followed by smoke and associated fire visible from their dormitory rooms.
“Fire safety personnel and vehicles arrived at the scene within minutes to extinguish the blaze, which still could be seen intermittently for several hours afterwards,” Mr. Grossi added.
