A Russian drone strike has damaged the massive protective shield covering Chernobyl's infamous nuclear reactor, the BBC reports.
The overnight attack caused a fire at the facility that houses the remains of the 1986 nuclear disaster, though radiation levels remain stable both inside and outside the complex.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that emergency teams responded within minutes to extinguish the blaze, with no casualties reported, according to the BBC's.
The strike targeted the $1.6 billion containment structure – a shield of concrete and steel 275 meters wide and 108 meters tall, designed to prevent radioactive material from leaking for the next century.
Experts interviewed by the BBC say the risk of radiation release remains low. "I'm not concerned about the radiation risk," said Professor Jim Smith from the University of Portsmouth, who has studied Chernobyl's aftermath since 1990. He explained that a thick concrete "sarcophagus" beneath the damaged outer shield would resist drone strike damage.
Russia has denied responsibility for the attack, telling the BBC its military "does not strike Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure."
Previously:
• Technical Chernobyl animation shows how an RBMK reactor explodes
• Chernobyl disaster, 25 year later: commemoration around the world
• Atomik Vodka: distilled from grains grown in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
• Chernobyl documentary footage vs. scenes from the show
• Frogs evolved black skin to adapt to radiation in Chernobyl
