Russian strikes on Ukraine have killed at least 21 and injured dozens during the weekend and overnight into Monday, authorities said, as the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster prompted new warnings about risks posed by attacks near the plant during Moscow's ongoing full-scale invasion.
On Monday, Russian forces launched a massive overnight attack on residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure in the southern port city of Odesa, the regional head said.
The strikes struck residential buildings including a hotel, injuring 11, including two children, said Marina Averina, spokesperson for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Odesa region.
Across Ukraine, at least four people were killed over the past day, authorities reported, including two people in the Donetsk region, one woman in Sumy and a 59-year-old man in Zaporizhzhia.
Russia launched 94 drones at Ukraine overnight on Monday, 74 of which were intercepted, Ukraine's Air Force said.
The day before, Russian drone and missile strikes on the city of Dnipro killed at least nine, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said Sunday.
Eight people were killed in Sunday's attacks in Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk, local authorities reported. At least 24 people were injured, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff said Sunday its forces had struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russian territory.
The strikes sparked fires at the facility, which processes 15 million tonnes of oil a year and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel for the Russian military. Moscow did not immediately comment.
Concerns for Chernobyl on a grim anniversary
The latest attacks came as Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history.
“Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster — Russian-Iranian Shaheds regularly fly over the plant, and one of them struck the confinement last year,” he wrote on Facebook, referring to the Iran-designed drones that have wreaked havoc since Moscow launched its all-out war in February 2022.
“The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks,” Zelenskyy said.
His warning was echoed by Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday. Grossi said repairs to the plant’s damaged outer protective shell must begin immediately.
IAEA assessments show the damage sustained after a strike last year has already compromised a key safety function of the structure, he said, warning that years of inaction could heighten danger to the original sarcophagus beneath it.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said repairs would require at least €500 million.
Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday that partner commitments to fund repairs at the facility totalled €100 million, in addition to a previously agreed €30 million.
According to Ukrainian officials, a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the plant's New Safe Confinement structure in February 2025, a €1.79 billion arch-shaped containment over the remnants of reactor No 4, installed in 2019.
