A Russian drone attack has inflicted tens of millions of pounds of damage to the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, according to experts. The photographer Julia Kochetova has gained access to the area

A Russian drone attack badly damaged the confinement structure around the disused Chernobyl nuclear power plant intended to prevent the release of nuclear substances, a senior nuclear industry official said Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier reported that radiation levels remained normal at the plant, site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. "The barrier, which was supposed to prevent the spread of radioactive substances, has ceased to function according to its original design," Oleksandr Tytarchuk, the plant's chief engineer, told reporters at the stricken plant.

A Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead has hit the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in the Kyiv region, Ukraine said, amid warnings by the military that Russia launched 133 unmanned vehicles against the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that the drone strike significantly damaged the protective containment shelter and started a fire, which has been put out. The Kremlin responded saying Russia does not hit nuclear sites. Radiation levels at the site have not increased, according to Zelenskyy and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA did not attribute blame but said the drone strike occurred at 01:50am local time (23:50 GMT) and that there was "no indication of a breach in the … inner containment" shell, a protective cover built around the fourth reactor of the plant.

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. An alleged drone struck the protective shell covering the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine early Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pointing the finger at Russia. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on X that overnight Thursday, the IAEA team at the Chornobyl site heard an explosion coming from the New Safe Confinement. The site protects the remains of the nuclear reactor that exploded in Chernobyl in 1986 and was reportedly set ablaze after an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) struck the NSC roof.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian drone attack caused a fire at the site of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The UN's nuclear watchdog said radiation levels were normal following the fire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian drone had struck a cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, adding that "radiation levels have not increased." The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had launched more than 100 drones across the country overnight -- including attack drones -- targeting northern regions of the country where the Chernobyl power plant lies. "Last night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the cover protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant," Zelenskyy said in a social media post. The International Atomic Energy Agency also reported an "explosion" at the site, and said "radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable." The agency, which has had a team deployed on the site since the early stages of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, published images apparently showing the drone on fire after crashing into the covering.

The IAEA, which monitors nuclear safety the world, said radiation levels inside and outside Chernobyl remain normal and stable. The agency remains on "high alert" after the incident, with its director general Rafael Mariano Grossi saying there is "no room for complacency". Chernobyl is the site of the world's worst nuclear accident - a catastrophic explosion that sent a plume of radioactive material into the air in 1986, triggering a public health emergency across Europe. Zelensky posted footage on X appearing to show damage to the giant shield, made of concrete and steel, which covers the remains of the reactor that lost its roof in the explosion. The shield is designed to prevent further radioactive material leaking out over the next century.

Australia's new chief scientist has said he is open to the prospect of nuclear power playing a role in the country's energy mix, but remained focused on forms of energy that were "available to help us right now". On his first day in the job, Prof Tony Haymet said new energy-intensive technologies like artificial intelligence could be powered by renewables, but that he thought serious discussions about nuclear in Australia were likely to be years away. "If you go back and look at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and so on, there wasn't enough transparency and openness. I think the nuclear industry has accepted the fact that they have to rebuild their social licence to operate," Haymet told a press conference when asked about small modular reactors (SMRs). "You know, for the next chief scientist in 2030 or 2040, I think you can re-ask your question."

A Ukrainian video game is shattering records since its release on November 20, despite many delays and its being a target of a Russian disinformation operation. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the latest edition of a game series that started in 2007 with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl, developed by GSC Game World, a Ukrainian video games studio. The game surpassed one million downloads and 117,000 concurrent players within 48 hours of its release, making it the most successful Ukrainian-developed title to date. Yet, that landmark achievement in the country's gaming industry was bittersweet. Former GSC Game World developer Volodymyr Yezhov, who worked on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and was known by the nickname "Fresh", was killed in combat near Bakhmut in December 2022, while serving in the Ukrainian military.

Global carbon emissions would be 6% lower than today if not for the "inaccurate narrative" against nuclear power since the Chornobyl disaster that has created "unfounded public concern", according to Tony Blair's thinktank. A report from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) has found that if the nuclear power industry had continued to grow at the same pace as before the 1986 nuclear disaster, the carbon savings would be the equivalent of removing the emissions of Canada, South Korea, Australia and Mexico combined. The world's emissions are higher than they might have been because of a sharp slowdown in the number of nuclear reactors opened since the 1980s, said the report, released on Monday. It found that more than 400 reactors started up in the 30 years before the Chornobyl disaster, but fewer than 200 had been commissioned in the almost 30 years since. "The result is that nuclear energy has never become the ubiquitous power source many had projected, with countries instead turning towards alternatives such as coal and gas," the report said. The thinktank has predicted a "new nuclear age" in the years ahead, driven by a surge in demand for low-carbon electricity from the power-thirsty datacentres needed to power artificial intelligence.