Russia launched a UAV strike on September 30 on the premises of the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, where the Kyiv research reactor (VVR-M) is located, and this constitutes another war crime, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said.
"The UAV strike on the premises of the Institute for Nuclear Research is an attack on a peaceful nuclear facility that performs exclusively scientific and research functions, and constitutes another cynical disregard by Russia for internationally recognized principles and standards of nuclear and radiation safety and a war crime," the Inspectorate said in a Facebook statement on Thursday.
According to the agency, the strike caused a fire, which was promptly extinguished, and there were no casualties.
The Inspectorate said that the reactor itself and safety-important systems were not damaged, and no changes in radiation levels were recorded. The readings remain within the natural background range of 0.16-0.20 μSv/h and have not changed.
The inspectorate explained that, in order to reduce radiation risks, the reactor has been shut down since February 2022 with the core completely unloaded, while its operation is limited to routine maintenance of safety-important systems.
"The Institute for Nuclear Research is a leading research institution in the fields of nuclear physics, nuclear power and radioecology. The VVR-M reactor is used as a neutron source for fundamental and applied research in nuclear physics," the Inspectorate said.
