Overview
- Following Sunday’s 40th‑anniversary events, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of nuclear terrorism, citing constant drone overflights of Chernobyl and a 2025 strike on its protective structure.
- The UN nuclear watchdog said the New Safe Confinement no longer performs its primary safety functions, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urged repairs to begin as soon as possible.
- Donors coordinated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimate about €500 million for full restoration, and Ukraine pressed partners for firm pledges in Kyiv along with sanctions on Rosatom.
- Ukrainian officials reported routine Russian drones near the plant and the detection of Kinzhal missiles within 20 kilometers, and crews only patched a 15 square meter hole from the 2025 strike as long-term work remains constrained by the war.
- Roughly 2,000 staff still rotate through the exclusion zone to dismantle and secure the site, and a midnight vigil in Slavutych showed how residents continue to honor liquidators while living with renewed nuclear risk.