A Russian drone crashed into the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine, during an overnight attack on Thursday, February 13, into Friday, the 14th.
The hit collided with the shelter that covers the plant’s destroyed fourth power unit, causing a fire that was later extinguished. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky said. Chernobyl was the site of the 1986 disaster that caused radiation across parts of the Soviet Union and Europe.
The watchman at the time reported hearing the explosion around 2 a.m. Friday morning. Luckily, although significant damage was done, the radiation level did not rise.
Russia has constantly been accused by Ukrainian and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials of attempting a major nuclear incident during the war. During battling near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in 2022, “every principle of nuclear safety” had been “violated.” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
Chernobyl’s chief engineer Oleksandr Tytarchuk expresses this is under control but is concerned with the time it will take to repair the shelter.
“There is a potential risk of radioactive substances being released due to certain actions that may occur at the old shelter facility,” Oleksandr Tytarchuk said.
This reported attack comes two days after Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and US President, Donald Trump held what Trump labeled as a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call along with potential peace talks hoping to bring Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine to an end after almost three years of brutal war.
