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Russian stuff blowing up: Russian drone strikes Chernobyl's reactor shield [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-02-14

A Russian drone struck the protective shield that encloses the ruined Chernobyl reactor. The attack caused a fire but radiation levels remain stable, according to the IAEA.

It’s hard to see how this strike — on the first day of the Munich Conference — could have been an accident. It is more likely a deliberate act of terrorism.

Simon Evans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was head of the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, which oversaw the construction of the protective dome in the 2010s. He described the apparent strike as "an incredibly reckless attack on a vulnerable nuclear facility". The shield "was never built to withstand external drone attack", he told the BBC. Instead, it is a "complex piece of decommissioning kit" built to contain the radioactive materials inside and to help safely deconstruct the broken reactor. The strike appeared to hit the maintenance system of a crane designed to remotely take the reactor apart, he said. There appears to be "pretty serious" damage to the outer and inner cladding, he added. But a fuller assessment of the damage will be needed before the bank can determine its costs.

x Inspection of damage received by the shelter of the Chornobyl NPP as a result of the Russian strike with Shahed kamikaze drone. The extent of external damage is more clearly visible in comparison with people.



[image or embed] — 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 10:24 AM

Here is video of the strike.

x The Russian strike on the protective sarcophagus at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is not accidental - it is symbolic. The installation of Chornobyl New Safe Confinement was a unique event in the history of nuclear power safety in the world.



[image or embed] — Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 4:09 AM

Russia, of course, is shocked, SHOCKED that anyone would even suggest that they could do something like this.

x "Russia does not strike Ukraine's nuclear energy infrastructure. Any claims of Moscow's involvement in such attacks are provocations and distortions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in response to the attack on the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.



[image or embed] — NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) February 14, 2025 at 4:29 AM

x ☢️ If the radars don't see the drone (that hit the Chornobyl nuclear power plant), then they did it on purpose. It flew low, and the hit was right in the sarcophagus, on the day the Munich Conference began, — Zelensky



[image or embed] — The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 4:32 AM

More careless smokers.

Speaking of careless smokers, who burns down a building used for oil spill cleanup?

x 🔥 Russia: Someone burned down the building in Anapa that was being used by oil clean up volunteers following the two oil tankers that sank in the Black Sea.



[image or embed] — Igor Sushko (@igorsushko.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM

Hit it again. Then hit it one more time.

x Ukrainian drones visited Russia. They targeted Krasnodar Krai, hitting the area near the Slavyansk ECO oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban. This refinery, processing 9% of Russia’s oil, has already been attacked twice in 2024. Local authorities confirmed the attack but gave no details.



[image or embed] — NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) February 14, 2025 at 1:51 AM

Boom goes the Bakhmut command center.

Those French-supplied HAMMER bombs are proving to be quite useful.

A Scooby van bristling with electronic warfare. Either it didn’t work or the van was abandoned.

Ukraine continues to hammer Russian positions in Kursk.

x 🚀 Ukrainian Air Force carried out a precision strike on a Russian military facility near Yelyzavetivka, Kursk region, destroying a platoon strongpoint of the 28th Rifle Battalion of Russia’s 60th Motorized Rifle Brigade. The site was used to launch drones attacking Ukrainian forces in Sumy region.



[image or embed] — NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) February 14, 2025 at 1:09 PM

Russian GRAD rocket launcher is hit and rockets fly off in all directions.

The two guys most responsible for promoting European unity in the last several years — Trump and Putin.

x 🇺🇦🤝 Joint statement from 🇩🇰Denmark, 🇪🇪Estonia, 🇫🇮Finland, 🇮🇸Iceland, 🇱🇻Latvia, 🇱🇹Lithuania, 🇳🇴Norway, 🇸🇪Sweden. We stand fully and firmly behind Ukraine. Our priority now is to strengthen Ukraine. We will further bolster our support.



[image or embed] — MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 6:46 AM

Any peace deal should be signed in Portsmouth, NH.

x ⚡️'Peace deal can't be signed in Munich' — Zelensky sets out condition for talks with Putin. Ukraine is not talking about any peace deal now, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14.



[image or embed] — The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) February 14, 2025 at 10:24 AM

Another casualty of the war.

x ⚡️Russia abandons modernization of power plants due to lack of money, equipment, media reports. The Russian government has allowed several companies to abandon the modernization of over a dozen power plants across the country, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.



[image or embed] — The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) February 14, 2025 at 9:54 AM

The Russians do this because they believe they can get away with it. And so far they have been correct.

x ‼️Germany's top naval officer said "more than one" of its warships were recently sabotaged. Several dozen kilograms of metal shavings were dumped into an engine of a brand-new ship called the "Emden". thedefensepost.com/2025/02/12/g...



[image or embed] — 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) February 13, 2025 at 4:38 PM

We can only imagine what Trump was trying to jam down Ukraine’s throat.

x ❗️The Americans did not like Kyiv's amendments to the minerals agreement. Therefore, the meeting between Vance and Zelensky was postponed, - journalist Zabelina. Let me remind you that Reuters sources stated that the US wanted to force Zelensky to blindly sign the minerals agreement.



[image or embed] — 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@militarynewsua.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 10:50 AM

Another 1,200 lucky winners, along with 17 tanks that Russia cannot afford to lose.

His luck ran out.

It’s one thing to run out of bandages or IV needles. But running out of bed pans? Oh, the indignity!

x Russians enjoying the 'luxury conditions' in the so called Luhansk People's Republic hospital. Russians are complaining there aren't even enough basins for the bedridden



[image or embed] — NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) February 14, 2025 at 4:19 AM

Here’s some even better advice: Go home.

x ⚡️A Russian soldier narrowly escapes after a Ukrainian drone strikes his vehicle. In the video, he warns, "Guys, don’t drive without EW." The drone strike leaves a Russian pickup truck engulfed in flames.



[image or embed] — WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 7:31 AM

Could be because they have family there.

x More than 100 civilians from parts of Russia’s Kursk region now under Ukrainian control have taken shelter in the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Here are a few of their stories.



[image or embed] — Meduza in English (@meduza.io) February 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM

Many in Russia have been celebrating Trump’s recent statements and the fact that he talked to Putin.

War criminal Igor Girkin has a different take.

x STRELKOV-GIRKIN: "We have completely handed over any initiative to Trump. We have relinquished our own agency and given Trump the authority to decide how he will make peace and on what terms. We suffered a diplomatic defeat even before the negotiations began."



[image or embed] — WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 10:25 AM

After listening to today's mix of honey and oil pouring from every iron, I couldn't help but recall a scene from the movie Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Profession, where a blonde lady starts calling her friends, exclaiming: "Can you imagine? You're going to faint! Yakin dumped his hag and is going to Gagra with me!" That's about the impression I get from our propaganda regarding the Trump-Putin talks-and the excitement over the fact that Trump spoke with Putin for an hour and a half but only gave Zelensky ten minutes. Well, what can I say... When you eagerly shove your nose into the hands of a "respected partner" with such enthusiasm, the result, unfortunately, is bound to be disastrous. I don't yet know what this will lead to, but it certainly won't benefit Russia. And in this context, I don't find it funny— I find it deeply, deeply sad. In reality, we have completely handed over any initiative to Trump. We have abandoned our own agency, giving Trump full control over deciding how peace will be made and on what terms. We suffered a diplomatic defeat even before the negotiations began-that's a fact. As for what will come of all this, whether the war will continue or not-l have my own view, which I have already expressed. I believe that at the very least, there will be a spring-summer campaign, and fighting will continue.

After that, we'll see.

In any case, stopping a war is much harder than starting one.

So either Pete Hegseth was freelancing/bullshitting or this guy is full of shit. Or both.

I vote for both.

x A senior U.S. official has stated that the U.S. has not ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine or a return to its pre-2014 borders. John Coale, President Trump’s former deputy Ukraine envoy, confirmed these options remain on the table, despite recent comments. www.reuters.com/world/europe...



[image or embed] — NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) February 14, 2025 at 3:29 AM

So Hegseth says Ukraine might lose territory but gain nukes?

These guys are making it up as they go along.

Maybe if they offered a free toaster with each fill-up. Anyone else remember when gas stations used to give stuff away?

x Russian oil companies are preparing to start forced production cuts as they are unable to sell millions of barrels of oil, Reuters reports, citing three oil executives and more than 10 traders, refining executives, and port agents.



[image or embed] — Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM

He makes a good point. It might not be possible for the rest of the world to make up the difference.

x Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi: "You mentioned, 'Can China stop buying gas from Russia?' Well, I'd like to ask this: if China does not buy gas from Russia, which country can provide so much gas as to meet the needs of Chinese people?"



[image or embed] — Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 9:32 AM

Russia’s entry in the Daytona 500 this weekend gets ready for qualifying.

This guy has his own anti-drone missile defense system.

x In the Bryansk region, russians simplify logistics as much as possible! One very lucky local resident decided to take "self-defense" to a new level by transporting an amplifier for the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system... on a bicycle. 👇



[image or embed] — Meanwhile in Ukraine (@meanwhileua.bsky.social) February 14, 2025 at 9:31 AM

Words to live by. It’s from Trump’s favorite book of the Bible — Two Corinthians.

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