Nuclear threat: Russian missiles and drones increasingly appear near nuclear power plants
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure, that covers the old sarcophagus which confines the remains of the damaged fourth reactor, and was damaged by a drone strike amid ongoing Russia's attack on Ukraine, at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in Kyiv region, Ukraine April 12, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
Russia has repeatedly launched missiles along flight paths near the Chernobyl and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants during attacks on Ukraine, increasing the risks of a European-scale nuclear accident.
This was announced in an interview with Reuters by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to him, since the Russian invasion, the Chernobyl and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants have been in the flight path of Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
Thirty-five “Daggers” were detected at various distances within 20 kilometers of the Chernobyl and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants, 18 of them flew near both nuclear power plants, Kravchenko noted.
“Such launches cannot be explained by any military considerations. It is obvious that the flights of the “Daggers” over the Chernobyl and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants are carried out by Russia solely for the purpose of nuclear intimidation and terror,” the official noted.
In three separate cases, Kravchenko said, Kinzhal missiles fell to the ground during flight and landed 10 kilometers from the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. It is unclear why the missiles fell, he added, as there is no sign on the wreckage that they were intercepted.
According to Kravchenko, since July 2024, when Russia began massive drone attacks on Ukraine, radars have detected at least 92 Russian drones flying within a five-kilometer radius of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s radiation shield.
As a reminder, the number of victims in Sumy has increased as a result of a night attack by Russian drones. 15 residents of the city were injured. Among the injured are three children: girls aged 13, 15, and 17.
As “Pryamiy” reported, on the night of Wednesday, April 22, Russian occupation forces massively struck several regions of Ukraine with drones and other types of weapons. The Odessa, Zaporizhia, and Sumy regions were hit.
It was also reported that on the night of April 20, Russian forces launched a massive attack on Ukraine, using 142 strike drones of various types. The Ukrainian Defense Forces involved aviation, air defense, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups.
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