Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that a Russian drone had struck the cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, adding that radiation levels were normal. The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had launched 133 drones across the country overnight \u2014 including attack drones \u2014 targeting northern regions of the country where the Chernobyl power plant lies. \u201cLast night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the cover protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant,\u201d Zelensky said in a social media post. The comments came just hours before Zelensky was due to meet with US Vice President JD Vance in Germany to lay out Ukraine\u2019s case before a new US administration eager to quickly end the nearly three-year war. The attack is evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is \u201cdefinitely not preparing for negotiations \u2014 he is preparing to continue deceiving the world\u201d, Zelensky said. CCTV footage posted by the Ukrainian leader showed a blast on the side of the Chernobyl structure in footage that was timestamped 02:02am. The Kremlin rejected that its army targeted Ukrainian nuclear structures. \u201cThere is no question of any strikes on such nuclear infrastructure sites. Any claims that this was the case do not correspond to reality. The Russian military does not do this,\u201d Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, after stating that he did not have \u201cexact information\u201d about the reported hit on Chernobyl. Zelensky\u2019s video also showed a small fire and hole in the roof, and firefighters using a hose to put out the blaze from the inside of the dome. He said the drone had flown at an altitude of 85 metres, too low to be detected by radar. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also reported an \u201cexplosion\u201d at the site, and said \u201cradiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable.\u201d The agency, which has had a team deployed at Chernobyl since the early stages of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, published images apparently showing the drone on fire after crashing into the covering. The IAEA has repeatedly warned of the dangers of fighting around nuclear plants following Russia\u2019s full-scale military offensive into Ukraine in February 2022. Russia responded by calling Zelensky\u2019s accusation a staged \u201cprovocation\u201d by Kyiv to blackmail the West into giving it more aid. Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, accused Zelensky of orchestrating the alleged drone attack to coincide with the Munich event as part of a lobbying effort to secure more weapons and money from the West. \u201cThere was never any doubt that Zelenskiy would not come to the Munich conference empty-handed. The hands of the Kyiv regime must always be busy with some children\u2019s rattles to distract the attention of the conference participants. \u201cZelensky travels with performances that are backed up by provocations,\u201d Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow. \u201cIs there any doubt in anyone\u2019s mind that this is a provocation? There can be no doubt. A performance was needed to lobby for arms deliveries and convince the world public. A scary, bloody and very dangerous performance,\u201d she said, accusing Kyiv of using nuclear plants for \u201cblackmail\u201d. Talks In the first days of the conflict, Russian forces briefly seized the Chernobyl plant and also captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, which it still controls. In 1986, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded during a botched safety test, resulting in the world\u2019s worst nuclear accident that sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Soviet authorities initially tried to cover up and then play down the disaster. In November 2016, a massive metal dome was erected over the remains of the reactor \u2014 paid for with \u20ac2.1 billion euros ($2.5bn) in international funding \u2014 to stop future leaks. \u201cThe only country in the world that attacks such sites, occupies nuclear power plants, and wages war without any regard for the consequences is today\u2019s Russia,\u201d Zelensky added in his statement. The Ukrainian energy ministry meanwhile \u201ccalled on the IAEA to intensify efforts to prevent hostile attacks on nuclear facilities\u201d. Russian drone and missile attacks on energy facilities throughout the conflict have crippled Ukrainian electricity generation capacity and forced routine and widespread power outages. The apparent attack comes ahead of a series of highly-anticipated meetings at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, which themselves come days after US President Donald Trump stunned Kyiv and European allies by holding a lengthy telephone call with Putin and announced the two leaders had agreed to soon start Ukraine peace talks. An advisor to Zelensky\u2019s chief of staff said that the Ukrainian delegation would be putting the Chernobyl attack on the agenda with the United States and Ukraine\u2019s allies. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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