<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/russian-drone-hits-building-spent-nuclear-fuel-chornobyl>
"A Russian Shahed drone has substantially damaged a building used to store
spent nuclear fuel close to the disused Chornobyl nuclear power plant, in what
Ukraine’s president described as a deliberate and “extremely vile” attack.
While the structure – the reception building of the spent fuel storage facility
– was empty of containers at the time, the targeting of the sensitive site
appeared to be direct messaging from Moscow amid an intensifying battle of
long-range aerial strikes in which high-profile locations on both sides have
been hit.
“As of now, there is no heightening of radiation safety limits. But there is
clearly a heightening of Russia’s already sky-high arrogance,” Volodymyr
Zelenskyy said after the attack, which took place at about 2am (midnight UK
time). “It was [a] critical infrastructure facility. And an extremely vile
Russian attack.”
Zelenskyy was due to meet Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on
Sunday at a summit in London to discuss the continuing conflict.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, posted on X: “This is not the first
time Russian forces are putting Ukrainian nuclear facilities at risk. Russia’s
nuclear blackmail and threats to nuclear safety are systemic, deliberate, and
unacceptable.”
The spent fuel storage facility is located about 9 miles from the Chornobyl
plant that in 1986 was the scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident.
A fire covering about 40 square metres broke out after Sunday’s strike and was
extinguished. No personnel were injured. Energoatom, the state nuclear power
operator, said radiation levels at the site remained within normal limits.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its experts were preparing to visit
the site and that although the strike had caused significant damage, radiation
levels at the site remained within established levels.
The facility is designed to provide long-term storage for spent nuclear fuel
from Ukraine’s nuclear power plants."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
