President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russia of engaging in “nuclear terrorism” as Ukraine observed the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster alongside fresh deadly drone strikes.
At least three people were killed across the country after Moscow launched over 100 drones overnight, part of the near-daily aerial attacks Ukraine has endured since the war began in 2022.
In a social media message commemorating the Chernobyl anniversary, Zelensky warned that Russia’s invasion was once again pushing the world closer to the threat of a man-made catastrophe.
“Forty years ago, the world faced one of the largest nuclear disasters – the fourth reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. A significant amount of radioactive material was released. Hundreds of thousands of people have been dealing with the consequences of that tragedy for years,” he said on X.
“To contain the radiation, a sarcophagus was built over the destroyed reactor. Later, more than 40 countries enclosed it with the New Safe Confinement to prevent further disasters,” Zelensky mentioned.
He continued, “These two structures are what protect against radioactive releases and contamination. Their maintenance and protection are in everyone’s interest. But through its war, Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster – Russian-Iranian “shaheds” regularly fly over the plant, and one of them struck the confinement last year.”
The Ukrainian leader noted that Russian drones frequently fly over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant site, adding that one of them struck its protective containment shell last year
“The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks,” Zelensky added.
The 1986 blast at the plant remains the worst civilian nuclear disaster in history and significantly reshaped global attitudes toward nuclear energy. Thousands of deaths have been linked to radiation exposure from the disaster, although estimates of the exact toll differ. Around 600,000 people who took part in the clean-up effort, known as “liquidators”, were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
A 2005 United Nations report estimated confirmed and projected deaths at 4,000 across the three most affected countries, while Greenpeace said in 2006 that the catastrophe may have caused nearly 100,000 deaths.
Russia’s recent drone attack on Ukraine
Russian attacks across Ukraine left three people dead and at least four others injured, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday, according to AFP.
Oleg Grygorov wrote in a post on Telegram, “The enemy struck civilians in the territory of Bilopillia community — near one of the settlements, less than five km from the state border with the Russian Federation.”
In the northeastern border region of Sumy, a Russian drone strike killed two civilians, according to the head of the regional military administration. The victims were identified as two men aged 48 and 72.
In the central-eastern city of Dnipro, drone and artillery shelling claimed one life and injured four others, regional military administration chief Oleksandr Ganzha said. He added that several homes and vehicles were also damaged.
Ukraine’s air force stated that Russia launched 144 drones overnight, with 124 of them successfully intercepted and destroyed.
Earlier on Sunday, the Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea said a man was killed inside a vehicle during a Ukrainian drone attack that also damaged multiple homes and a dance school in different parts of the port city.
The governor added that Russian air defenses had brought down 43 drones during the assault.
A day earlier, Ukrainian officials said at least eight people were killed in Dnipro after the city endured nearly 20 hours of continuous Russian strikes.
