Russian drone hits Kyiv nuclear institute grounds, reactor undamaged

A Russian drone hit the grounds of a nuclear research facility in Kyiv, causing a fire but leaving the facility's test reactor undamaged, Ukraine's nuclear safety watchdog said on Thursday.

The regulator did not say where the drone landed or provide imagery of the attack, which happened on Wednesday.

Several of Ukraine's nuclear sites have come under fire since Russia invaded in February 2022, raising fears of a nuclear accident.

The strike comes as Russia escalates its campaign of airstrikes on Kyiv, putting the capital on a near-constant state of alert.

"On September 30, 2026 at 6:18 pm Kyiv time (1518 GMT), a Russian drone struck the territory of the Institute for Nuclear Research, where the Kyiv Research Reactor is located," Ukraine's nuclear safety regulator wrote in a statement Thursday.

"The fire that resulted from the attack was quickly extinguished. There were no injuries," it said, adding that the reactor was not damaged and had been shut down since 2022.

The research reactor at the site has the capacity to generate around 10 Megawatts, around a hundredth of the generating capacity of a conventional nuclear reactor.

Neither Russia or the UN's atomic energy watchdog immediately commented on the reported strike.

There are four nuclear power plants in Ukraine, the largest of which was seized by Russian forces in 2022.

The country relies on nuclear power for almost half of its electricity generation.