KYIV: A large forest fire burned through the Chernobyl exclusion zone on Friday following a drone crash near the disaster-tainted nuclear plant the previous day, Ukrainian authorities said. Radiation levels at the site were within &quot;normal limits&quot;, authorities reported, adding that firefighters were working to contain the blaze. Images showed columns of white smoke billowing from the area, parts of which are closed off to the public due to high levels of radioactivity. The site surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear plant has been largely deserted since the plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown in 1986. It has since been converted into a nature reserve. &quot;As of 3:00 pm [1200 GMT] the estimated area of the fire, which broke out after two drones crashed within the Chernobyl nature reserve, is about 1,180 hectares,&quot; the reserve&#39;s director Denis Nesterov said in a post on Facebook. He did not say the origin of the drones. The governor of the neighboring Chernigiv region gave a higher estimate, suggesting the fire had spread across an area spanning 40 square kilometers. &quot;The aggressor is preventing the fire from being extinguished. Their drones are constantly hovering over the area,&quot; Chernigiv governor Vyacheslav Chaus added. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of recklessly attacking its nuclear sites, including the Chernobyl complex. A Russian drone last year punctured a hole in one of the radiation shells covering the reactor unit that exploded on April 26, 1986. Rescuers were working to prevent the further spread of the fire, Ukraine&#39;s state emergency service said. &quot;Due to strong gusts of wind, the fire is rapidly spreading across the territory, covering new sections of the forest,&quot; it said. &quot;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.&quot; The exclusion zone suffered wildfires in 2020, which lasted several weeks and caused a spike in background radiation. Ukraine only last month marked 40 years since the disaster.

This handout photograph, taken and released by the Ukrainian Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve on May 8, 2026, shows smoke billowing over buildings in the town of Chernobyl from a forest fire in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. (AFP)

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Fire burns through Ukraine’s Chernobyl exclusion zone after a drone crash, officials say, with radiation levels normal as firefighters battle the blaze in the restricted area.

Forest fire burns near Chernobyl nuclear plant after drone crash

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ISLAMABAD: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a blistering attack on European leaders Thursday, accusing them of bankrolling Russia&#39;s war effort by allowing oil sales and missile component transfers while blocking frozen Russian assets from being used to defend Ukraine. &quot;Europe says nothing, America says almost nothing, and Putin makes missiles,&quot; Zelenskyy said in a speech at the World Economic Forum, criticizing both continents for failing to stop companies from selling missile components to Russia. The Ukrainian leader questioned why President Donald Trump can stop tankers from Russia&#39;s shadow fleet and seize oil while Europe does not. he noted that oil being transported along European shores funds the fight against Ukraine. &quot;If Putin has no money, there is no war for Europe,&quot; Zelenskyy said. He criticized Europe&#39;s decision to freeze Russian assets but then block their use to help defend Ukraine when &quot;the time came.&quot; He also said there has been &quot;no real progress&quot; on establishing a tribunal for Russian aggression despite &quot;many meetings,&quot; questioning whether it is an issue of &quot;time or political will.&quot; &#39;Fragmented kaleidoscope&#39; Zelenskyy described Europe as facing challenges to its way of life and criticized some European leaders as ineffective. &quot;Some European leaders are from Europe, but not for Europe,&quot; he said, adding that some Europeans &quot;always need someone else to tell them how long they need to stand strong for.&quot; &quot;Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers,&quot; he said. Zelenskyy said many countries did not meet their 2.5% defense pledges until Trump pressed them. &quot;What message does this send to Putin, to China?&quot; he asked. Peace documents &#39;nearly ready&#39; Referencing a meeting with Trump earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy said documents aimed at ending the war are &quot;nearly ready.&quot; &quot;Without action now, there is no tomorrow,&quot; Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine is working with &quot;honesty and determination&quot; and that Russia must become ready to &quot;finish this aggression.&quot; He said previous US meetings resulted in defense missiles for Ukraine and that officials have also discussed &quot;protecting the skies.&quot; He expressed hope the US will continue to stand with Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he is still yet to reach an agreement with the US on a backstop, which he says is needed for a possible ceasefire. Call for European armed forces Zelenskyy suggested Europe needs its own armed forces instead of relying on NATO, saying &quot;no one has seen the alliance in action.&quot; He said NATO exists &quot;thanks to belief&quot; that the US will intervene. &quot;But what if it doesn&#39;t?&quot; he asked. He thanked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron for their commitments on forces, saying &quot;Everyone is very positive, but. Always but. But the backstop of President Trump is needed.&quot; Diplomatic constraints Zelenskyy said he has been advised not to mention Tomahawks, describing how he was told this might &quot;spoil the mood&quot; in negotiations with the US. Meanwhile in Europe, he said there are &quot;endless internal arguments&quot; preventing honest speaking to find solutions. Greenland and Iran Addressing the Greenland issue, Zelenskyy said most leaders remain unsure what to do and appear to be &quot;waiting for America to cool down on this topic, waiting for it to pass away.&quot; He said Ukraine has the means to protect Greenland, adding, &quot;We know how to fight there. We would solve the problem if we were in NATO, but we are not.&quot; On Iran, Zelenskyy accused global leaders of not wanting to extend support for Iranians &quot;and the democracy they need.&quot; &quot;When you refuse to help people fighting for freedom, the consequences return - and they are always negative,&quot; he said. Zelenskyy concluded his speech with &quot;slava Ukraini,&quot; which means &#39;glory to Ukraine.&#39;

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Europe of enabling Russia’s war through oil trade and political inaction, and said talks with the United States on ending the war are nearly complete.

Articles tagged with "russo-ukraine war"

Forest fire burns near Chernobyl nuclear plant after drone crash

Zelenskyy blasts Europe for funding Putin's war machine