Russian Drone Damages Chornobyl Storage

Russian forces conducted a drone strike on June 7, 2026, damaging a spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Ukraine's Chornobyl power plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the incident, which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed caused significant damage to a fuel-reception building. The facility is located approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the main Chornobyl plant, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. While no spent fuel was present in the damaged building at the time of the attack, and no immediate increase in background radiation levels was reported, the IAEA plans to dispatch a team to inspect the site.

This incident follows a previous alleged Shahed drone attack in February 2025 that reportedly damaged a containment arch over the Chornobyl reactor. Russia has not publicly commented on the latest strike. Concurrently, other Russian drone attacks on June 7, 2026, resulted in the deaths of two civilians in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, with 215 out of 236 incoming drones intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses.

The attacks occurred as President Zelenskyy prepared to meet with leaders from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in London to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine. This diplomatic engagement follows a rejected offer from Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a ceasefire.