Fears over new Chernobyl 'nuclear accident' as Vladimir Putin risks catastrophe

Fears over new Chernobyl 'nuclear accident' as Vladimir Putin risks catastropheRussia has been launching drones and missiles on a flight path near the disused Chernobyl nuclear plant during attacks on UkraineCommentsNewsEliana Nunes News Reporter15:11, 22 Apr 2026Updated 15:23, 22 Apr 2026View ImageThe Chernobyl nuclear power plant, now stands abandoned inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (file)(Image: Getty Images)Fears of another major nuclear disaster are growing as Russia launches drones and missiles along a flight path near the disused Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine.‌As the world prepares to mark the 40th anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster in what was then Soviet-controlled Ukraine this Sunday (April 26), Ukraine's top state prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko warned that the Chernobyl site and the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant in western Ukraine have been on the flight path of Russian hypersonic missiles since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.‌Thirty-five Kinzhals have been detected at various distances within around 12 miles of the Chernobyl facility or the Khmelnytskyi plant, Gen Kravchenko said. Of those, 18 passed within around 12 miles of both sites on the same flight, he added.‌"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," ⁠Gen Kravchenko told Reuters.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it frequently reported on military activity in the vicinity of nuclear power plants and attacks on electrical substations that are key to nuclear safety.‌"IAEA Director General (Rafael) Grossi has repeatedly expressed deep concern about the risks and dangers of these military activities for nuclear safety and security," the watchdog said."The DG has also repeatedly called for maximum restraint near nuclear facilities to avoid the danger...