KYIV, Ukraine: Strikes across Ukraine, Russian-occupied territory and Russia over the past day killed at least 16 people, authorities said Sunday as the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster prompted new warnings about risks posed by attacks near the plant during Russia\u2019s more than four-year invasion of its neighbor.<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the anniversary with a warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster \u2014 Russian-Iranian Shaheds regularly fly over the plant, and one of them struck the confinement last year,\u201d he wrote on Facebook, referring to the Iran-designed drones that have wreaked havoc since Moscow launched its all-out war in February 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/p>\n
Russian drone and missile strikes on the city of Dnipro killed at least nine, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said Sunday.<\/p>\n
One man was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the port city of Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said Sunday. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal, and has used it as a staging and supply point during the war.<\/p>\n
Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-installed governor in Ukraine\u2019s Luhansk region \u2014 of which Russia earlier this month said it had taken full control, a claim denied by Ukraine \u2014 said three people were killed in an overnight Ukrainian drone strike on a village, after reporting two people were killed in the early hours of Saturday.<\/p>\n
Ukraine did not comment on either attack, which could not be independently verified by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
Earlier, a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia\u2019s Belgorod border region, according to local authorities.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian forces also struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russian territory, Ukraine\u2019s General Staff said Sunday. The strikes sparked fires at the facility, which processes 15 million tons of oil a year and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel for the Russian military. Russia did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n
Ukraine has developed its own long-range drones, which can reach targets some 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) inside Russia.<\/p>\n
It has used them recently against Russian oil facilities as Moscow looks to boost its exports after the Trump administration gave it a temporary waiver from sanctions to ease supply constraints. Kyiv officials complain that Russia will use the additional revenue on new weapons to hit Ukraine harder.<\/p>\n
Concerns for Chernobyl on a grim anniversary<\/p>\n
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, echoed Zelensky\u2019s concerns over Chernobyl during a visit to Kyiv, saying repairs to the plant\u2019s damaged outer protective shell must begin immediately.<\/p>\n
IAEA 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.<\/p>\n
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said repairs would require at least 500 million euros ($586 million).<\/p>\n
Energy Minister Denys Smyhal said on Sunday that partner commitments to fund repairs at the facility totaled 100 million euros ($108 million). That is in addition to a previously agreed 30 million euros ($32 million).<\/p>\n
Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the plant\u2019s New Safe Confinement structure \u2014 a $2.1 billion archlike enclosure completed in 2019 over the remains of Reactor No. 4 \u2014 in February 2025. Moscow denied targeting the plant, alleging Kyiv staged the attack.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s honors its allies from North Korea<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov visited North Korea on Sunday for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about future military cooperation between the countries.<\/p>\n
Belousov said the countries agreed to \u201ctransition military cooperation to a sustainable, long-term basis,\u201d according to Russia state news agency Ria Novosti.<\/p>\n
During the visit, he presented the Russian Order of Courage to Korean service members who served in Russia\u2019s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in August 2024.<\/p>\n
Kim has sent thousands of troops and large weapons shipments to support Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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