Five technicians secured by wires worked near the curved top of an arched steel structure that loomed the equivalent of 40 stories high, trying to extinguish the last bits of smoldering insulation left by a drone strike. It was snowing; the temperature was below freezing; the steel was covered with ice.

The hole from the strike was quite large, about 540 square feet, and dangerous for many reasons—primarily because it jeopardized the safety of the protective shell covering Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Ukrainian officials stated that the breach was caused by a Russian drone armed with high-explosive warheads, marking a significant escalation in hostilities since Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.

Despite the attack, radiation levels at Chernobyl remained normal on Friday. Fortunately, the concrete-and-steel "sarcophagus" encasing the reactor and highly radioactive debris held firm. Miraculously, no one was injured or killed during the incident.

However, the audacity of the strike has alarmed Ukrainian authorities, especially as it occurred on the eve of a major gathering of world leaders in Munich, heightening fears of a nuclear disaster amid ongoing conflicts. The attack has raised questions about the security measures in place to safeguard such sensitive sites during warfare.