The abandoned city of Pripyat

Steve Kroft reported from the area of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, where the only sign of life was music

• Feb 18, 2018
• 01:06

Robots working at Fukushima’s power plant

Seven years after a powerful earthquake and tsunami caused a massive nuclear meltdown in the Daiichi Power Plant, Lesley Stahl reports on the unprecedented cleanup effort. Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. PT on CBS

• Nov 20, 2018
• 00:27

Inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone (2014)

In 2014, almost 30 years after the nuclear power plant disaster, Bob Simon went to the Chernobyl exclusion zone to report on the cleanup there. Chernobyl has become a focal point of Russia's current invasion of Ukraine.

• Feb 24, 2022
• 13:13

Former Ambassador William Taylor on "The Takeout"

Former Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor discusses the political history of Ukraine and what it was like seeing Volodymyr Zelenskyy's leadership emerge throughout his presidency. Taylor talks with CBS News' Major Garrett about Vladimir Putin's "blunders" during Russia's invasion and the hope he has for Ukraine to stand firm through this next phase of war. Taylor also talks about the international response and the prospect of prosecuting war crimes.

• May 6, 2022
• 46:49

Russian drone hits Chernobyl, Ukraine says

Ukraine accused Russia's military of flying an exploding drone into the Chernobyl nuclear plant. The drone damaged the outer shell of the reactor, but it does not appear to have caused a radiation leak. On Friday, Vice President JD Vance will meet with Ukraine's president in Germany to talk about U.S. plans for peace talks with Russia.

• Feb 14, 2025
• 01:28

Ukraine: Russian drone hit Chernobyl shelter

The radiation containment shelter at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was struck Thursday night by a Russian drone, according to Ukraine. The U.N.'s energy watchdog says radiation levels have remained normal since the incident and the Kremlin denies it was behind the attack. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer has more.

• Feb 14, 2025
• 03:24

On Chernobyl anniversary, Zelenskyy slams Russia for nuclear "blackmail"

The 1986 incident, which is considered the world's worst ever nuclear disaster, contaminated vast areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

• Apr 26, 2023

Ukraine's nuclear power plants under threat

A Russian missile explodes just 300 yards from a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, hundreds of miles from the front lines. These strikes are reigniting fears that the ongoing conflict could unleash a nuclear disaster. John Dickerson spoke with Margaret Kosal, a professor of international relations at Georgia Tech, about what could happen if a nuclear plant is hit.

• Sep 21, 2022
• 04:52

What's at stake with the Russian-occupied nuclear plant in Ukraine?

"Russia is playing Russian roulette with a nuclear incident," said Barbara Woodward, Britain's Ambassador to the United Nations.

• Sep 14, 2022

Monitors head to nuclear plant in war zone

Amid fears of a Chernobyl-style disaster at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, a team of inspectors is expected to reach the embattled site in a matter of hours. Debora Patta shares more.

• Aug 31, 2022
• 01:20

Nuclear plant on Ukraine war's front lines temporarily cut off from grid

The nuclear power plant in the middle of the fighting in Ukraine was temporarily cut off from the electrical grid because of fire damage.

• Aug 25, 2022

Mayor: "Dire" situation in Mariupol

Ukrainian officials are trying to evacuate civilians who sought refuge in a Mariupol steel mill, which has come under continuous fire from Russian forces. The Mariupol's mayor said the situation is "dire" and people at the mill are running out of food, water and medicine. CBS News foreign correspondent Chris Livesay has an update from Kyiv, Ukraine.

• Apr 30, 2022
• 03:46

Russia continues threats to use nuclear weapons

The Chernobyl disaster happened 36 years ago, but now Ukraine is faced with a new nuclear threat. Russian forces have fired artillery near nuclear power plants and the Kremlin continues to threaten to use nuclear weapons in its offensive against Ukraine. Chris Livesay has more.

• Apr 30, 2022
• 03:30

Ukraine says Russia resorting to "blackmail," nuclear threats as war rages

36 years after the Chernobyl disaster, Zelenskyy says Russia firing missiles over the nuclear plant has left him "speechless," as Moscow cuts the gas to 2 Ukrainian allies.

• Apr 27, 2022

Residents near Chernobyl face new dangers

CBS News foreign correspondent Chris Livesay toured Slavutych, the Ukrainian town outside the Chernobyl exclusion zone that was built specifically for the evacuees in the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear disaster. But today its residents are yet again in a dangerously precarious position, just a few miles from both the Russian and Belarus borders, both of which have been violated by Russian forces in the invasion.

• Apr 27, 2022
• 03:03

Austin reaffirms support for Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is reaffirming Western support for Ukraine. He said the West will "keep moving heaven and earth" to help the nation defend itself against Russia. CBS News foreign correspondent Chris Livesay has an update from Kyiv, Ukraine.

• Apr 26, 2022
• 05:55

Russians possibly received "significant doses" of radiation at Chernobyl plant

"The thick dust raised by passing vehicles, and the radiation particles in it, may very well have entered the bodies of Russian occupiers through the lungs," the plant director said.

• Apr 1, 2022

U.S. official says Ukrainian helicopters attacked oil depot in Russia

A U.S. official says it was a rare strike by Ukrainian forces on Russian soil, which came as Putin's troops abandoned the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

• Apr 1, 2022

Concerns over Ukraine's nuclear facilities

Russian forces took over the Chernobyl nuclear facility in Ukraine last month, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed alarm about the facility's safety. Oleksandr Danylyuk, the co-founder of the Center for National Resilience and Development, joined CBS News to discuss the risks of Chernobyl and other Ukrainian nuclear facilities being under Russian control.

• Mar 14, 2022
• 07:18

Ukraine says power has been restored to Chernobyl plant

The plant is currently held by Russian troops.

• Mar 14, 2022

Ukraine says Russia planning "terrorist attack" on Chernobyl

The dire warning, which U.S. and international atomic energy officials have not confirmed, says Putin personally ordered "preparation" for an attack on the notorious site.

• Mar 11, 2022

Ukraine says power cut at Chernobyl plant risks "nuclear discharge"

The country's energy minister says backup generators should be able to keep vital cooling systems running, but stresses electricity must be restored "as quickly as we can."

• Mar 9, 2022

Ukraine officials: Mariupol hospital attacked

There are reports Russian missiles hit a children's and maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol, while other cities like Odesa are preparing for a bombardment. Further north, electricity has been cut to the defunct Chernobyl power plant, sparking concerns of a radiation leak. CBS News foreign correspondent Chris Livesay gives an update from Ukraine as Russia continues its attack.

• Mar 9, 2022
• 05:02

Ukraine's social media resistance

Ukrainian officials and volunteers are trying to stop false reports about the Russian invasion from spreading online. Former Deputy Minister of Information Policy for Ukraine Dmytro Zolotukhin joined CBS News' Vladimir Duthiers and Anne-Marie Green to talk about his country's social media resistance.

• Mar 8, 2022
• 11:55

U.S. calls Russian attack on Ukraine nuclear power plant a "war crime"

Other Western nations reacted with horror, as well. The attack stoked fears the war could spark another Chernobyl.

• Mar 4, 2022