A Russian Shahed attack drone struck Ukraine’s Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility near the Chornobyl power plant in the early hours of Sunday, June 7, partially destroying a container reception building and triggering a fire. The strike hit the container reception building at the facility, known by its Ukrainian acronym TsSVYAP, at 2:10 a.m. local time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack deliberate, and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed radiation levels remained within established limits.
The strike significantly damaged a fuel-reception building metres away from where “large amounts of nuclear material” is stored, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had been briefed by Ukraine. A fire covering approximately 40 square metres broke out and was quickly contained and extinguished. No personnel casualties were reported.
Kyiv’s state atomic agency Energoatom said no spent fuel had been stored in the building at the time of the attack. Automated radiation monitoring and manual surveys at the site showed no increase above normal background levels, Energoatom said.
Zelenskyy condemned the strike in direct terms. “Russia deliberately struck this very nuclear infrastructure facility,” he said. “As of now, there is no exceeding of the background radiation norms. But there is definitely an exceeding of even the already sky-high Russian audacity. Ukrainian rescuers stopped the fire at this facility after the strike. And real new steps from the world are needed so that the Russians feel that such a terrorist war of theirs is a blow to Russia itself.”
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi described the strike as deeply concerning. “The incident is deeply concerning as it occurred at a facility containing large amounts of nuclear material, held in storage just metres away from the attacked building,” he said. Grossi also said strikes on nuclear facilities are in direct contravention of the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security during military conflict, according to the Kyiv Post.
Energoatom condemned the Kremlin’s targeting of nuclear installations in a public statement. “Another blow to a nuclear infrastructure facility has once again demonstrated to the entire world the true face of the Kremlin regime, which deliberately creates threats to nuclear and radiation safety,” the agency said. “Russia continues to act as a terrorist state and a nuclear terrorist, disregarding international law and the safety of millions of people.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the reported attack fits a broader pattern of Russian conduct around nuclear sites. “This is not the first time Russian forces are putting Ukrainian nuclear facilities at risk,” Sybiha wrote on X.
Russia has not publicly commented on the alleged strike on the facility, which is located around 15 km from the Chornobyl plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
The president said Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, and all relevant state services are actively engaging with international allies to ensure that every global partner is fully briefed on the exact details of the Chornobyl strike.
Regional and Global Impact
The IAEA said strikes on nuclear areas are “in direct contravention of key nuclear safety principles, notably the 7 Indispensable Pillars for nuclear safety and security during a military conflict.” The agency has called for an inspection team to visit the site.
The strike deepens international concern over nuclear safety in the war zone. Kyiv and Moscow have also traded accusations of attacking the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine, Europe’s largest. The pattern of strikes near nuclear infrastructure has drawn repeated calls from the IAEA and Western governments for both sides to protect atomic sites.
Background
The TsSVYAP facility, located near the Chornobylska Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine, serves as the country’s primary centralized repository for spent nuclear fuel. In February 2025, a Russian Shahed drone damaged a containment arch over the Chornobyl reactor that was destroyed in the April 1986 explosion and meltdown. The IAEA confirmed that strike after its personnel on site heard the explosion at approximately 1:50 a.m. local time, and IAEA Director General Grossi subsequently confirmed that the structure had lost its primary safety functions, including confinement capability, though no increased radiation levels were recorded. On May 8, according to Kyiv Post, a separate Russian drone crash inside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone sparked a wildfire that consumed over 1,100 hectares of protected forest.
What Happens Next
The IAEA said a team would soon visit the site “to inspect the impact.” Energoatom said it is maintaining continuous, round-the-clock monitoring of the TsSVYAP site and is coordinating with state emergency services and international atomic watchdogs, according to the Kyiv Post. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is briefing international allies on the details of the strike. Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet the leaders of France, Germany and Britain for talks on the way forward as Russia faces military setbacks in its invasion.
