Strikes in Ukraine and Russia kill at least 16 on Chernobyl anniversary
[April 27, 2026]
By SAMYA KULLAB
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — 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’s more than four-year invasion of its neighbor.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the anniversary with a
warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history.
“Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made
disaster — Russian-Iranian Shaheds regularly fly over the plant, and one
of them struck the confinement last year,” he wrote on Facebook,
referring to the Iran-designed drones that have wreaked havoc since
Moscow launched its all-out war in February 2022.
“The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the
best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks,” Zelenskyy
said.
Russian drone and missile strikes on the city of Dnipro killed at least
nine, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said Sunday.
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.
Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-installed governor in Ukraine’s Luhansk
region — of which Russia earlier this month said it had taken full
control, a claim denied by Ukraine — 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.
Ukraine did not comment on either attack, which could not be
independently verified by The Associated Press.
Earlier, a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s
Belgorod border region, according to local authorities.
Ukrainian forces also struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside
Russian territory, Ukraine’s 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.
Ukraine has developed its own long-range drones, which can reach targets
some 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) inside Russia.
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.
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People dressed in white protective suits hold candles during a
memorial service dedicated to firefighters and workers who died
after the 1986 Chornobyl (Chernobyl) nuclear disaster, ahead of its
40th anniversary in Slavutych, Ukraine, Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Chornobyl is the Ukrainian name for the city. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)
Concerns for Chernobyl on a grim anniversary
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, echoed Zelenskyy's concerns over Chernobyl during a visit to
Kyiv, saying repairs to the plant’s damaged outer protective shell
must begin immediately.
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.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said repairs
would require at least 500 million euros ($586 million).
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).
Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone struck the outer shell of
the plant’s New Safe Confinement structure — a $2.1 billion archlike
enclosure completed in 2019 over the remains of Reactor No. 4 — in
February 2025. Moscow denied targeting the plant, alleging Kyiv
staged the attack.
Russia's honors its allies from North Korea
Russia's 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.
Belousov said the countries agreed to “transition military
cooperation to a sustainable, long-term basis,” according to Russia
state news agency Ria Novosti.
During the visit, he presented the Russian Order of Courage to
Korean service members who served in Russia's Kursk region, where
Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in August 2024.
Kim has sent thousands of troops and large weapons shipments to
support Russia's war against Ukraine.
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Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine,
contributed to this report.
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