Russian Drone Hits Kyiv Nuclear Research Institute Housing VVR

A Russian drone struck the grounds of Ukraine’s Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, where the VVR-M research reactor is located, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported on October 1.

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According to the regulator, citing the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the strike occurred at 6:18 p.m. local time on September 30. A fire broke out following the attack but was quickly extinguished, with no casualties reported.

The reactor itself and systems important to its safety were not damaged. Authorities recorded no changes in radiation levels, which remained within the natural background range of 0.16 to 0.20 microsieverts per hour.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, while specialists continue to assess the extent of the damage caused by the strike.

The VVR-M reactor has remained shut down since February 2022 as a precaution aimed at reducing radiation risks. Its core has been fully unloaded, and operations at the facility are currently limited to routine maintenance of systems important to nuclear safety.

“Thus, the drone strike on the territory of the Institute for Nuclear Research constitutes an attack on a peaceful nuclear facility used exclusively for scientific and research purposes. It is yet another cynical disregard by Russia for internationally recognized principles and standards of nuclear and radiation safety and constitutes a war crime,” the regulator concluded.

The incident follows another recent Russian strike on a facility belonging to Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences. On September 28, a Russian drone hit an academy building in central Kyiv, sparking a fire in the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said emergency crews were deployed to extinguish the blaze and for people who may have been inside the building.

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