It was only last month that Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, but on Friday there is another major threat to the site, which Russia says it is closely monitoring, according to RIA.
A massive forest fire is sweeping through the Chernobyl exclusion zone on Friday after a drone crashed near the defunct nuclear plant a day earlier, Ukrainian officials have said.
As firefighters battle to contain the blaze, local officials further say that for now radiation levels remained within “normal limits”; however, there’s been cause for alarm given the massive column of white smoke rising over the whole exclusion zone area.
Ukrainian sources did not identify who sent to UAV, but only state that the fire started Thursday “as a result of a drone crash.” The Zelensky government has in the recent past frequently accused Russia of putting Chernobyl and other high secure nuclear sites under threat with its constant drone and aerial bombardment waves over the country.
Ukraine’s emergency service agency said rescue teams are busy seeking to halt the spread of the fire, but wind has been playing a big part. “Due to strong gusts of wind, the fire is rapidly spreading across the territory, covering new sections of the forest,” the agency said.
“The situation is complicated by dry weather, strong winds and mine danger in certain areas of the territory, which significantly limits the possibility of extinguishing work,” it added. Belarusian media has estimated the fire is already more than 1,100 hectares, or over 2,700 acres.
A 2020 wildfire in the same area which was the result of arson had resulted in a radiation spike 16 times above normal levels. At the time, The Guardian had reported:
The fire had caused radiation fears in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, which is located about 60 miles south of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Government specialists on Monday sent to monitor the situation reported that there was no rise in radiation levels in Kyiv or the city suburbs.
So this current crisis does have the real potential to unleash higher radiation levels. That prior wildfire disaster saw the fire burn for weeks before it was extinguished.
Several prominent Ukrainian social media accounts have blamed the new fires on Russian shelling, or have also said it was a Russian drone that caused it…
😠 In Chernihiv region, about 2,400 hectares of forest are burning due to Russian shelling.
Firefighters are trying to contain the blaze and protect nearby settlements, but access is limited as enemy UAVs continue operating overhead. pic.twitter.com/StqIHZ7mSC
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) May 7, 2026
As for more recent alarming incidents at the defunct Chernobyl site, in 2025 an explosive drone had hit the protective containment shell of the plant. However, emergency crews were able to make it to the impact site on the immense roof and make repairs. Both the Ukrainian and Russian sides pointed the finger at the other for that attack.
Given that Chernobyl is a name that has captured popular imagination for decades since the apocalyptic historic disaster left the vicinity basically a radiation death zone, it could present the perfect false flag opportunity for anyone wishing to prolong and escalate the war – and nuclear officials have been keenly aware of this possibility.