A RUSSIAN drone has hammered an “extremely critical” nuclear fuel facility in Chernobyl – with Volodymyr Zelensky slamming the “vile” attack.
The brazen attack comes as world leaders congregate in London to plot strongarming Moscow into ending its four-year war.
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Russia launched a drone strike on a radioactive fuel storage facility at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
The side of the building was completely destroyed in the blast Credit: East2West
Zelensky will meet with the leaders of France, Germany and the UK to talk next steps as Putin suffers more setbacks on the battlefield and on home soil.
But the Ukrainian leader was furious when he learned of Russia‘s latest war game, labelling the strike deliberate and “vile”.
Ukraine accused its adversary of nuclear terrorism, with shocking images showing damage to the facilities exterior wall.
Radiation limits were later reported to be “within normal limits”.
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The strike was launched in the early hours of the morning and sparked a huge fire Credit: East2West
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant three days after the explosion on April 29, 1986 Credit: Getty
Ukraine‘s state nuclear energy operator Energoatom warned: “Another strike on a nuclear infrastructure facility once again demonstrated to the whole world the true face of the Kremlin regime.”
The state supplier accused Russia of deliberately creating threats to nuclear and radiation safety.
He said: “Russia continues to act as a terrorist state and a nuclear terrorist, disregarding international law and the safety of millions of people.”
The strike hit the side of the Central Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (CSSF) – which Zelensky described as “extremely critical”.
A highly radioactive exclusion zone still surrounds the Chernobyl blast site Credit: East2West
“Russia deliberately struck this particular nuclear infrastructure facility,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
A terrifying blaze engulfed the building, spreading 430ft before being extinguished.
No injuries among the personnel were reported, and the building was part of the container reception area.
Chernobyl – then in the Soviet Union – was the scene of the world’s worst civilian nuclear disaster in 1986.
The disaster killed 30 people in its immediate aftermath, and nearly two million lives were changed forever.
Zelensky branded today’s strike as an “extremely despicable Russian attack”, urging Western allies to pile the pressure on Putin.
Meanwhile, at least three people were killed in another strike on a village outside Zaporizhzhia in the south-east of the country, authorities said.
The beleaguered city has been increasingly under siege, with another two people dying in attacks yesterday.
It comes as Ukraine unleashed a major drone blitz on St Petersburg and left a key Russian naval depot up in flames.
Kyiv blitzed Russia’s Baltic Fleet HQ as part of a large-scale aerial barrage after Putin snubbed Zelensky’s call for face-to-face peace talks earlier in the week.
Drone strikes have increased in recent months as US-led efforts to bring an end to the five-year war have stalled amid the Middle East conflict.
The 73-year-old tyrant accused his counterpart of “rudeness” for alluding to his old age in the open letter calling for in person negotiations.
Zelensky had also warned Putin that he risks facing a coup if he fails to stop the war due to rising dissent within the Kremlin.
But mad Vlad bluntly refused to talk, saying there is “no point” and issuing a Stalin-style rallying call to his troops currently losing ground in the conflict.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, once dubbed “Russia’s Davos”, he said: “We should not address the author of this letter [Zelensky]….but rather our soldiers on the contact line.
“The whole country is watching you; the whole country is proud of you and hoping for you. Work, brothers!”
He added: “Military actions will end some day, we assume. Without a doubt, they will end once we have achieved the goals we have set for ourselves.”
