Five technicians, secured to an arched steel structure standing 40 stories high, battled harsh winter conditions to extinguish remnants of insulation smoldering from a drone strike. The incident, which took place on the frigid morning of February 14, 2025, left a significant hole—540 square feet—in the protective shell covering Reactor No. 4.

The breach not only poses direct safety risks but also endangers the integrity of the “sarcophagus” encasing the reactor, previously designated as the site of the worst nuclear disaster ever. Despite the concerning damage, authorities reported that radiation levels remained stable during the incident, and that there were no casualties among the personnel on site.

Ukrainian officials revealed the dire nature of the attack, stating that a Russian drone armed with high-explosive ordinance intentionally struck the facility just hours before a significant international summit in Munich. Experts have voiced that it stands as one of the most alarming military aggressions since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War nearly three years ago, raising alarm regarding the precarious balance of nuclear safety in zones of conflict. The incident underlines the fragile state of nuclear security and the potential repercussions of continued hostile actions near such critical sites.