Russian drone strikes spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Chernobyl

On Sunday, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian Shahed drone struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility approximately 15 kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the state atomic agency confirmed that a building housing fuel tanks was partially damaged, though no fuel was stored there at the time of the impact. Ukrainian firefighters successfully extinguished the resulting blaze, and no injuries were reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated it was informed of the incident, noting that while the main building suffered severe damage and nearby structures were affected by the blast wave, radiation levels remain within normal background limits. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as a deliberate act of nuclear infrastructure targeting, while Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha characterized the incident as part of a systematic pattern of nuclear blackmail. Russia has not provided a formal comment regarding the event. The attack occurred as international leaders, including those from the UK, France, and Germany, were preparing to meet in London to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.