At least 16 killed in strikes on Chernobyl anniversary

At least 16 people were killed across Ukraine, Russian-occupied territory, and Russia during a wave of strikes that coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Sunday, authorities said. The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of "nuclear terrorism," warning that Russian drone barrages over the decommissioned nuclear plant risk repeating history. The deadliest strike occurred in the city of Dnipro, where Russian drone and missile attacks killed nine people, according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha. One person was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, and three people died in a Ukrainian drone attack on a village in Ukraine's Luhansk region, which Russia claimed to have fully captured earlier this month. A woman was also killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Belgorod border region. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russian territory, sparking fires at the facility that processes 15 million tons of oil annually and produces fuel for the Russian military. Ukraine has developed long-range drones capable of reaching targets approximately 1,500 kilometers inside Russia. The strikes took place as International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi visited Kyiv and echoed warnings about the dangers posed by attacks near the Chernobyl site, where damage from a strike last year has compromised a key safety function of the structure protecting Reactor Number 4. Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook that "Russian-Iranian Shaheds regularly fly over the plant," adding that the world must force Russia to stop its reckless attacks. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said repairs would require at least 500 million euros. Separately, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov visited North Korea on Sunday to discuss long-term military cooperation with leader Kim Jong Un, presenting the Russian Order of Courage to Korean service members who fought in Russia's Kursk region.