Chernobyl Anniversary Prompts New Warning From Zelensky

Strikes across Ukraine, Russian-occupied territory, and Russia killed at least 16 people, authorities said, as the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster prompted fresh warnings about the risks posed by Russian attacks near the plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to warn that Russian attacks risk repeating history, the AP reports. "Through its war, Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster—Russian-Iranian Shaheds regularly fly over the plant, and one of them struck the confinement last year," he wrote on Facebook. "The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks."

• Chernobyl commemoration: Early Sunday, people streamed into the central square of Slavutych, placing candles on a large radiation hazard symbol laid out on the ground as a midnight commemoration began for those killed in the Chernobyl disaster 40 years ago and the thousands who risked deadly radiation exposure to contain its aftermath. Liudmyla Liubyva, 71, said it's important to honor those who sacrificed their health to fight the fire at the nuclear plant and clean up the worst of its contamination, per the AP. Thirty workers died within months from either the explosion or acute radiation sickness. Larysa Panova, 67, had to move away after the disaster. "I never stop thinking of Chernobyl as my homeland," she said. "You remember your school, your childhood, your youth—everything happened there, in Chernobyl."

• Plant damage: Rafael Grossi, of the International Atomic Energy Agency, echoed Zelensky's concerns during a visit to Kyiv, saying repairs to the plant's damaged outer protective shell must begin immediately. Agency assessments show the damage sustained after a strike last year has already compromised a key safety function of the structure, he said, warning that years of inaction could heighten danger to the original sarcophagus beneath it. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said repairs would require at least $586 million. Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the plant's New Safe Confinement structure—a $2.1 billion archlike enclosure completed in 2019 over the remains of Reactor No. 4—in February 2025. Moscow denied targeting the plant, alleging Kyiv staged the attack.

• Fatal strikes: The death toll from Russian drone and missile strikes on the city of Dnipro rose to nine, the regional head said Sunday. One man was reported killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the port city of Sevastopol. The Russia-installed governor in Ukraine's Luhansk region—of which Russia earlier this month said it had taken full control, a claim denied by Ukraine—said three people were killed in an overnight Ukrainian drone strike on a village, after reporting two people were killed early Saturday. Ukraine did not comment on either attack, which could not be independently verified by the AP. Ukrainian forces also struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russian territory, Ukraine's General Staff said Sunday. The strikes sparked fires.