Chernobyl Shield Hit by Russian Drone, Radiation Normal: Ukraine

Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable, and there are no casualties, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

A searchlight illuminates a hole in the roof—said to have been caused by a Russian drone—of the damaged sarcophagus that covers the destroyed fourth reactor of Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, on Feb. 14, 2025. Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that a Russian drone armed with a warhead had struck the sarcophagus protecting the shell of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The incident came after President Donald Trump said on Feb. 12 that he would meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, which began when Moscow invaded in Feb. 2022.