Chornobyl anniversary: Russian drones push world to brink of new disaster

Today, April 26, 2026, marks exactly 40 years since the world witnessed one of the deadliest nuclear disasters in history: the explosion of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s fourth reactor. Four decades later, the plant has returned to the epicenter of global alarm due to Russian aggression.

The warning came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Forty years ago, the blast unleashed a massive volume of radioactive material. Hundreds of thousands have spent decades grappling with the fallout of that horrific night, while the memory of the fallen liquidators remains sacred to every Ukrainian.

“To contain the radiation, a sarcophagus was built over the destroyed reactor. Later, more than 40 nations collaborated on the New Safe Confinement to prevent further disasters. These two structures are the only thing standing between us and radioactive leaks. Maintaining and protecting them is in everyone's interest,” the head of state declared.

Shaheds over the Exclusion Zone

Despite international efforts to secure the site, Russia continues to disregard all norms of international law. According to the president, Russian-Iranian "Shahed" drones regularly violate the airspace over the Chornobyl plant. Furthermore, direct hits on protective structures have been recorded.

“With its war, Russia is again pushing the world to the brink of a technical disaster: Russian-Iranian "Shaheds" constantly fly over the station, and one of them struck the confinement structure last year,” Zelenskyy reported.

Ukraine and the international community classify such actions as nuclear terrorism. The president stressed that the only way to guarantee safety is to force Russia to halt its insane attacks.

“We remember everyone who gave their life to liquidate the consequences of this tragedy. Eternal memory to all victims of the Chornobyl disaster,” the president concluded.