Russia strikes Ukraine's central spent-fuel store at Chornobyl with a Shahed
A Russian drone hit the receiving building of the Holtec-built dry-cask site that freed Ukraine from shipping its nuclear waste to Russia, metres from where spent fuel sits.
A Russian drone hit the receiving building of the Holtec-built dry-cask site that freed Ukraine from shipping its nuclear waste to Russia, metres from where spent fuel sits.
A Russian Shahed drone struck Ukraine's Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility inside the Chornobyl exclusion zone at about 2:10 a.m. on June 7, state operator Energoatom said. The strike partly destroyed the site's container reception building and started a fire of about 40 square metres, which crews extinguished. No one was hurt, and radiation held within normal limits, the operator and Ukraine's General Staff reported.
No spent fuel was stored in the building at the time, Energoatom added. The facility sits about 15 kilometres from the destroyed Chornobyl reactor and is Ukraine's main store for spent fuel from its nuclear plants, sealing it in steel-and-concrete dry casks, a system developed with US firm Holtec International. The damaged hall handles containers before they reach the main storage pad.
The drone hit a structure "metres away" from where large amounts of nuclear material are stored, the International Atomic Energy Agency said after Ukraine briefed it, according to RTE. President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an "extremely vile" strike carried out with a Shahed. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia's threats to Ukrainian nuclear sites are "systemic, deliberate, and unacceptable." Russia has not commented.
It was the second Russian drone near a Chornobyl structure in 16 months. A Shahed damaged the reactor's New Safe Confinement arch in February 2025; radiation held then too, though the IAEA later found damage to the shelter. Kyiv and Moscow have separately traded blame over strikes near the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest.
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Subscribe Free →The facility exists for one strategic reason: to keep Ukraine's spent fuel at home instead of shipping it to Russia, ending a dependence Moscow long held over Kyiv's nuclear power sector. Sybiha called for greater international pressure on Russia over the strike, and said Ukraine had briefed the IAEA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Russian drone hit?
A Shahed drone struck the container reception building of Ukraine's Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in the Chornobyl exclusion zone at about 2:10 a.m. on June 7, partly destroying it and starting a roughly 40-square-metre fire, according to state operator Energoatom.
Was there a radiation leak?
No. Energoatom and Ukraine's General Staff said radiation levels at the site stayed within normal limits, no spent fuel was stored in the damaged building at the time, the fire was extinguished and no one was injured.
What is the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility?
It is Ukraine's main storage site for spent fuel from its nuclear plants, located about 15 kilometres from the Chornobyl plant. Defence Blog reports it was developed with US firm Holtec International and uses dry-cask storage, sealing spent fuel in reinforced steel-and-concrete containers so Ukraine can hold its waste domestically.
How did Ukraine respond?
President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an "extremely vile" strike carried out with a Shahed drone. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia's threats to Ukrainian nuclear facilities are "systemic, deliberate, and unacceptable," according to RTE and the Kyiv Independent. Russia has not publicly commented.
Has Chornobyl been hit before?
Yes. In February 2025 a Russian Shahed drone damaged the New Safe Confinement arch over the destroyed reactor. Radiation held steady, but the IAEA later reported damage to the shelter structure, according to Reuters and RTE.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.