Wildfires, exacerbated by dry weather, began on 3 April. Hundreds of firefighters, including those using aircraft, initially managed to combat the flames, but new fires have engulfed the forests, now burning close to the notorious nuclear power plant.

Ukrainian state officials say that the situation is under control and have called for calm. Police have arrested a 27-year-old local resident who is accused of arson. On Monday evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised that the public would be kept informed about the fires with maximum transparency. However, the disaster continues, and it could very soon affect the site of the 1986 nuclear tragedy.

Aerial images show scorched, blackened earth and trees shrivelled by the heat of the fire around the former nuclear plant. The fire has reached the abandoned city of Pripyat, which is located 2 kilometres away from the site where radioactive waste is stored.