Radiation leak fears as Russia drone hits Chernobyl nuke plant & damages containment shell as Zelensky slams ‘terrorism’

A RUSSIAN drone has slammed into the Chernobyl power plant and exploded in a horror attack on the nuclear disaster zone raising fears of a deadly radiation leak.

The craft carried a "high-explosive warhead" and hit early Friday morning, detonating on the containment shell of Reactor Four - the core which failed in the 1986 Soviet disaster.

Chernobyl was the worst nuclear disaster in history and a containment dome was built over the top of the reactor to stop the deadly fallout spreading.

Footage showed a thunderous explosion erupting from the dome and a fire burning in the structure.

A large hole was left in the concrete and steel cover - called a sarcophagus - following the blast, with Ukrainian firefighters having to enter the structure to extinguish the blaze.

There are now fears deadly radiation could leak from the plant and be spread by winds just as peace talks unfold.

Ukraine’s secret service revealed the drone was a Shahed-2 kamikaze drone - a type designed by Iran and widely used by the Russian armed forces in the war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a clip of the explosion and resulting damage from the strike.

He slammed Russia as a "terrorist threat to the entire world".

Zelensky said: "This shelter was built by Ukraine together with other countries of Europe and the world, together with America – all those committed to real security for humanity.

"The only country in the world that attacks such sites, occupies nuclear power plants, and wages war without any regard for the consequences is today’s Russia."

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the strike occurred at 1.50am local time.

Russia occupied Chernobyl earlier in the war, but then retreated.

It also seized Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the south of Ukraine in 2022 in what threatened to become another nuclear disaster.

Zelensky confirmed radiation levels had not increased but there had been "significant" damage to the shelter as authorities continued to monitor the situation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency also said no radiation had been measured but it was continuing to monitor the situation.

Zelensky raged the attack showed Russia wasn't sincere about peace negotiations.

He said: “Putin is preparing to continue deceiving the world. 

“That is why united pressure from all who value life is needed – pressure on the aggressor. Russia must be responsible for what it is doing.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Russia had carried out the attack.

He said: "Any allegations about Moscow’s involvement in such attacks are a provocation and fraud."

Russian Telegram channels claimed the strike was likely a Ukrainian stunt to derail peace talks. 

One reported it was “looking like a Ukrainian attempt to pull apart peace deal negotiations”.

The SBU said the Shahed-2 was fitted with a “high-explosive warhead”.

In a statement they said: “Inside and near the shelter, the SBU discovered wreckage of the hull of a Russian drone with a warhead and serial number.

“Currently, comprehensive measures are underway to establish all the circumstances of the Russian Federation's crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

A pretrial investigation has been launched, classing the attack of the nuclear power plant as a “war crime”.

“The measures are being carried out under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.”

In 1986, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded during a botched safety test, resulting in the world's worst nuclear accident that sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

The shell was built in 2016 around the old sarcophagus with the clean-up scheduled for completion by 2065.

Soviet authorities initially tried to cover up and then play down the disaster.

Eventually a massive dome was built over the reactor to contain the radiation.

The attack comes as the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance with world powers meeting in Munich.

Zelensky has warned the West against trusting Putin amid fears his embattled nation is being frozen out of peace talks with Russia.

On Wednesday night, US President Donald Trump announced immediate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine after speaking with Putin by phone for 90 minutes.

Trump appears to have gone over the head of Ukraine and European nations and is set to meet the Russian tyrant in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky was backed by allies including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who insisted that Ukraine must play a central role in negotiations to end the three-year conflict.