Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly launched drones and missiles on a flight path near the disused Chernobyl nuclear plant during attacks on Ukraine, raising the risk of a major accident, Ukraine’s top state prosecutor told Reuters.
Prosecutor details flight paths near nuclear sites
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko provided written remarks describing previously unreported Russian military activity near Ukrainian nuclear sites, ahead of Sunday’s 40th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Ukraine has four nuclear power plants in addition to the decommissioned Chernobyl power station, including Europe’s largest in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, which has been occupied by Russian forces since soon after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Kravchenko said both the Chernobyl site and the two-reactor Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant in western Ukraine have been on the flight path of Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles since the invasion.
He said 35 Kinzhal missiles had been detected at various distances within around 20 km (12 miles) of the Chernobyl facility or the Khmelnytskyi plant, adding that 18 passed within around 20 km of both sites on the same flight.
“Such launches cannot be explained by any military considerations. It is evident that the flights over the nuclear facilities are carried out solely for the purpose of intimidation and terror,” Kravchenko said.
Russia’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
IAEA cites risks from military activity near nuclear plants
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it frequently reported military activity in the vicinity of nuclear power plants and attacks on electrical substations that are key to nuclear safety.
The watchdog said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had repeatedly expressed concern about the risks and dangers of such military activities for nuclear safety and security, and had called for maximum restraint near nuclear facilities to avoid the danger of a nuclear accident.
What impact do you think repeated military flights near nuclear facilities could have on nuclear safety?