Ukraine Accuses Russia of Targeting Chernobyl Fuel Storage Facility

(MENAFN) Ukraine has appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to intervene swiftly following allegations that Russia launched a drone attack overnight against a nuclear fuel storage facility located within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

According to reports, Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Smyhal said a drone struck a building at the country’s Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility, triggering a fire that emergency crews later brought under control.

Smyhal stated that the incident caused partial damage to the facility and warned that it created serious concerns regarding nuclear and radiation safety. He described the situation as an “unprecedented threat to nuclear and radiation safety.”

“Such actions create risks to critical systems essential for the safe storage of nuclear materials and represent a blatant violation of international law, the principles of nuclear safety, and the IAEA fundamental safety principles,” he wrote on US social media company X.

In a separate statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of intentionally targeting infrastructure linked to nuclear safety.

“As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels,” he said on US social media X. “But there is certainly an increase in Russia’s brazenness, which long ago went off the charts.”

While officials reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident, Ukrainian authorities argued that the alleged attack highlights growing risks to facilities responsible for storing nuclear materials and renewed their call for international attention and action.

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