Zelenskyy warns that Russian drones endanger Chernobyl and other nuclear plants

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a stark warning (AP)

Russia’s sustained bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine, officials said.

The drone strike adds to concerns raised more than a week ago when the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine became disconnected from the power grid following attacks that each side has blamed on the other.

Both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia are not currently operational, but they require a constant power supply to run crucial cooling systems for spent fuel rods in order to avoid a potential nuclear incident.

Russian air attacks continue to hit civilian areas, such as Barabashovo market in Kharkiv, Ukraine, this week (AP)

A blackout also could blind radiation monitoring systems installed to boost security at Chernobyl and operated by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as he criticised the UN nuclear watchdog and its chief Rafael Mariano Grossi for what he described as weak responses to the danger.

“Every day of Russia’s war, every strike on our energy facilities, including those connected to nuclear safety, is a global threat,” he said.

“Weak and half-measures will not work. Strong action is needed.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian claims that Russia has been shelling the power lines around the Zaporizhzhia plant as “nonsense”. He blamed Ukraine for attacking the Moscow-controlled plant – and warned that Russia could respond in kind.

The war that followed Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour more than three years ago appears no closer to ending, despite months of US-led peace efforts.

Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Russia launched over 20 Shahed drones against energy infrastructure in Slavutych, the city whose power supply services Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident nearly 40 years ago.

A wave of drones overwhelmed defences and caused a blackout on Wednesday, he said, affecting the sarcophagus that prevents radioactive dust from escaping the destroyed fourth reactor and storage housing more than 3,000 tonnes of spent fuel. He did not provide details of how it was affected.

“The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on Slavutych would have such consequences for Chernobyl,” Mr Zelenskyy said.

Last February, a drone armed with a warhead hit Chernobyl’s protective outer shell, briefly starting a fire. Radiation levels there did not increase, officials said.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is Europe’s biggest and one of the 10 biggest nuclear facilities in the world, has been disconnected from the grid for over a week.

It has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire during the war. Mr Zelenskyy blamed Russian artillery for cutting the power line to the plant, but Mr Putin mocked the claim, saying: “Are we striking ourselves?”

A soldier returning from Russian captivity hugs his wife during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region (AP)

He accused Ukraine of “playing a dangerous game” by attacking the plant, adding ominously: “People on the other side must understand that if they continue this dangerous game, they also have functioning nuclear power plants.

“What would prevent us from responding in kind?” he added. “Let them think about it.”

The facility is using emergency diesel generators to run cooling systems for its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel.

The IAEA says the plant is not in immediate danger but wants it swiftly reconnected to the grid.

Ukraine’s energy ministry said the situation is unprecedented, saying: “No nuclear power plant in the world has ever operated under such conditions, and it is impossible to make any reliable forecasts.”

Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Thursday.

Mr Zelenskyy said 185 military personal, most of whom had been in Russian captivity since 2022, and 20 civilians were returned home.

Since the war began, more than 7,000 Ukrainians have returned, Mr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russia’s defence ministry said 185 of its soldiers and 20 civilians returned.