Kyiv, April 26, 2026 — At least 16 people were killed in strikes over the weekend across Ukraine, Russian-occupied areas and inside Russia, officials said, as the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster drew renewed attention to the dangers of attacks near the nuclear site during Moscow’s more-than-four-year invasion.
Regional authorities said the death toll included nine people killed by Russian drone and missile strikes on the city of Dnipro, according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha. Moscow-installed officials in Crimea reported one man killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Sevastopol. The Russia-backed administration in Luhansk said three people died in an overnight Ukrainian drone strike on a village after earlier reporting two fatalities from Saturday strikes. Russian regional officials also said a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in Belgorod.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russia, igniting fires at a facility that processes about 15 million tonnes of oil a year and supplies fuel used by the Russian military. Russia had no immediate comment. Kyiv has deployed longer-range drones capable of reaching roughly 1,500 kilometres into Russian territory and has recently targeted oil infrastructure as Moscow seeks to expand exports following a temporary U.S. waiver that eased some sanctions. Ukrainian officials warn that additional Russian export revenue will be used to buy weapons and escalate attacks on Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the Chernobyl anniversary by warning that Russian strikes risk repeating history. He said Russian-Iranian Shahed drones regularly fly over the plant and noted one struck the New Safe Confinement last year, calling the attacks a form of nuclear terrorism and urging the world to force Russia to stop its reckless strikes.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, voiced similar concerns during a visit to Kyiv, calling for immediate repairs to damage to the plant’s outer protective shell. IAEA assessments say last year’s strike degraded a key safety function of that structure and warned that years of inaction could increase the danger to the original sarcophagus beneath it. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates repairs would cost at least €500 million (about $586 million).
Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the New Safe Confinement arch over Reactor No. 4 in February 2025. Moscow has denied targeting the plant and accused Kyiv of staging the incident.
The combination of renewed strikes, cross-border attacks and the reminder of Chernobyl’s legacy has raised international concern about the risks of combat near nuclear sites and the potential for a man-made disaster if protective structures are damaged and not promptly repaired.
