Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Nuclear Plant with Drones, Zelensky Shares Heartbreaking Video

Kiev (The Uttam Hindu): Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that Russian drones targeted the radiation shelter located above the damaged reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Zelensky said that the attack at night caused a fire on the roof of the destroyed fourth power unit of the plant, which was extinguished. The Ukrainian President said that the radiation level in the plant had not increased as of Friday morning.

Zelensky posted footage on X showing an explosion and damage to a giant shield made of concrete and steel designed to prevent the leak of radioactive material. It is 275 metres (900 feet) wide and 108 metres (354 feet) high and cost $1.6 billion to build. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, said firefighters and vehicles responded within minutes of the overnight blast, according to media reports.

There were no reports of casualties, the agency said. The IAEA, which monitors nuclear safety worldwide, said radiation levels inside and outside Chernobyl remained normal and stable. The Chernobyl reactor was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident. A catastrophic explosion spewed a plume of radioactive material into the air on April 26, 1986, causing a public health emergency across Europe. Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union at the time.