KYIV: A Russian drone strike has hit the protective shelter over the damaged reactor at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The attack happened overnight and caused a fire in the shelter covering the plant’s destroyed fourth reactor. The fire was put out quickly, and by Friday morning, radiation levels remained normal, Zelensky confirmed.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said emergency teams responded within minutes of the explosion. No one was injured. The agency also stated that radiation levels inside and outside Chernobyl are stable. However, it remains on "high alert," with Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warning that there is "no room for complacency."

Chernobyl was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 when a massive explosion released radioactive material across Europe. Zelensky shared a video on social media showing damage to the massive concrete and steel shield covering the reactor’s remains. This shield, built to prevent further radiation leaks for the next 100 years, is 275 meters wide and 108 meters tall. It cost USD 1.6 billion to build.

Earlier, on January 29, 2025, Russia’s Sibur oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region caught fire. Russia’s air defenses also shot down drones over nine regions, including 11 in Smolensk, near the Belarus border. Many were intercepted over Kursk, where Ukrainian forces have held several villages for months.

Ukraine and Russia continue to launch drone and missile strikes almost daily, often targeting energy sites, especially during winter. Experts have long warned of the risk of a nuclear disaster since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, most concerns focus on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies on the front lines of the war.

The  Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi expressed sentiments  over the state of affairs, saying that the safety risks connected to military activity near nuclear sites, and There is no room for complacency, and we remain on high alert.

On January 29, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged that his country Russia could hold peace discussions with Ukraine, but ruled out taking discussions of peace talks directly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.