Kyiv. Greenpeace Ukraine condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian attack on the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF) located in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, which took place this morning (1).
According to Ukraine’s nuclear company, Energoatom, a Russian drone struck the facility at approximately 2:10 a.m. local time. The attack partially destroyed the facility’s container reception building, though no spent nuclear fuel was being stored there at the time. The drone strike caused a fire covering around 40 square meters (430 square feet), which was then extinguished. No personnel were injured. Energoatom said radiation levels at the site remain within normal limits.
On 28 May 2026 a ceremony was held at the CSFSF where Energoatom was formally issued with an operational license by State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU)(2). The June meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) opens Monday where efforts will be made to punish Russia for its crimes against Ukrainian nuclear facilities.
“This latest attack is a further example of Russia’s criminal efforts to weaponize nuclear energy. Last year, a Russian Shahid drone strike on the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement (NSC) caused major damage to the structure. Now, a facility that is intended to keep highly dangerous spent fuel safe has been targeted for attack. Russia’s years of targeting Ukraine’s nuclear facilities are a violation of international law and risk to cause a major radiological disaster. The international community has almost completely failed to punish Russia for its nuclear terrorism, while EU countries maintain their nuclear trade with Rosatom, and so Russia continues its attacks,” said Jan Vande Putte, radiation specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine.
Russian nuclear propaganda, disinformation and false flag operations have dramatically escalated during the past month, specifically in relation to events at the Zaporizhzhzia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) which has been under illegal Russian military occupation since March 2022. In the last week alone, the ZNPP has lost off site electrical power twice due to Russian operations and attacks. Since 2022, Greenpeace has investigated and documented systematic false-flag and disinformation efforts by Russia at ZNPP, and have concluded there is no evidence to Russian claims of Ukraine’s attacks against the ZNPP. There are multiple objectives with Russia’s weaponization of nuclear energy, including creating confusion amongst international media and seeking to undermine international support for Ukraine, while also seeking to distract attention from Russia’s continued occupation of the ZNPP and its violations of all nuclear safety and security principles.
This week in Vienna, Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear plants will be debated at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting. The Ukrainian government has called on member states to punish Russia by ending its membership of the Board of Governors (3).
“Russia with its actions over many years has attempted to normalize something that can never be accepted as normal – the deliberate targeting of nuclear power plants and facilities. This attack fortunately had no radiological consequences – but Russia is prepared to take that risk. It must be stopped and punishing Russia at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting next week is a logical and wholly justified demand by Ukraine,” said Shaun Burnie, nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine.
Photo: Spent fuel storage cask at the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF). Source: Energoatom
Notes
1 – The CSFSF began operations in December 2023 and is designed to receive, process, and store spent nuclear fuel from Ukraine’s commercial nuclear reactors. CSFSF is a dry storage site for spent fuel from VVER-1000 and VVER-440 reactors. It is designed to have a total storage capacity of 16,530 spent fuel assemblies, including 12,010 VVER-1000 assemblies and 4520 VVER-440 assemblies.
2 – Energoatom received a license to operate the Central Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (CSNFS) nuclear facility, 28 May 2026, seehttps://energoatom.com.ua/news/energoatom-otrimav-licenziiu-na-ekspluataciiu-iadernoyi-ustanovki-csviap
3 – Comment of the MFA of Ukraine regarding the latest Russian information operation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, 30 May 2026, seehttps://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/komentar-mzs-ukrayini-shchodo-chergovoyi-rosijskoyi-informacijnoyi-operaciyi-navkolo-zaes-naperedodni-zasidannya-radi-keruyuchih-magate
