Russia conducted strikes on various targets in Ukraine overnight into Sunday, including areas near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This action occurred a day after Ukraine executed a large-scale drone attack on Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces targeted infrastructure around Chernobyl, describing it as a significant strike but noted there was no immediate radiation threat, with radiation levels remaining normal.
Ukrainian media indicated that a fuel storage facility in the exclusion zone was hit. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that the drone attack caused considerable damage to the facility's fuel reception building and announced plans for an inspection team to assess the damage.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that Russia attacked 13 civilian facilities across Ukraine in the same timeframe. He reported that over the past week, Russia launched 88 missiles, 3,250 drones, and 1,800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine, resulting in at least seven fatalities and 61 injuries from the latest attacks.
In response, Ukraine launched numerous drones targeting locations in Russia, including areas around St. Petersburg, where reports indicated one death and a fire at an oil depot. The Russian defense ministry claimed to have destroyed 500 Ukrainian drones in one day and intercepted several guided bombs and a rocket from a U.S.-made HIMARS system.
The strikes near St. Petersburg followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's rejection of a proposed meeting with Zelenskyy, who had sent a letter requesting peace talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticized Zelenskyy for publicizing the letter instead of sending it directly. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with leaders from France, Germany, and the UK in London to discuss military support and peace negotiations.