KYIV, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Friday that a Russian drone had caused significant damage to the radiation containment shelter at the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear power plant overnight.
Zelenskiy and the U.N.'s atomic energy watchdog confirmed that radiation levels remained normal following the incident, which occurred as top U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials gathered to discuss the situation.
The Chornobyl station's chief engineer, addressing reporters on-site, explained that a drone had exploded inside, damaging the structure designed to prevent the spread of radiation.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, accused Zelenskiy of orchestrating a drone attack to coincide with the Munich event, as part of an effort to secure more support from the West.
Chornobyl was the site of the world's worst civil nuclear disaster in 1986 when one of its reactors exploded. The affected reactor is now enclosed in a shelter to contain the remaining radiation.
Chornobyl's last operational reactor ceased in 2000. The region was contaminated by Russia during its advance towards the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at the beginning of the invasion.
The drone hit the radiation shelter, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished, Zelenskiy reported on the Telegram app.
Zelenskiy expressed, "According to initial assessments, the damage to the shelter is substantial."
Chernobyl's chief engineer, Oleksandr Tytarchuk, mentioned that emergency teams were working to minimize the impact of the incident.
He detailed, "The barrier designed to prevent the spread of radioactive substances has been compromised from its original function."
The drone pierced the outer cover, fell inside, and exploded, he said. Tytarchuk noted that had the explosion occurred slightly further away, it could have severely affected the older shelter, which is over four decades old.
The Ukrainian SBU security service presented images of the drone allegedly carrying a high-explosive warhead, identified as a Geran-2, a version of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136, intended for striking the reactor enclosure.
Marcel Plichta, Fellow at the Centre for Global Law and Governance at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, commented that the visuals released by Ukraine were likely depicting a Shahed-136 drone.
Yermak shared photos indicating a small fire near the top of the New Safe Confinement shelter, portraying the aftermath of the incident.
Zelenskiy mentioned in Munich that the drone flew in undetected under radar coverage, at 85 meters altitude.
Describing his meeting as positive, Zelenskiy and officials discussed the ongoing delicate situation in Ukraine, with new U.S. initiatives aiming for swift negotiations and the cessation of hostilities.