A drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, punching a hole in the structure and briefly starting a fire, in an attack Kyiv blamed on Russia.

A drone armed with a warhead hit the outer protective shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant on Friday, damaging the structure and briefly

A view of the containment vessel that protects the remains of reactor number four at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant and built to contain radiation, after a drone attack, Ukraine on Feb 14. (AP)

Ukraine's nuclear ghosts were raised again on Friday after a drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of the plant at Chernobyl.

A drone armed with a warhead hit the outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant, briefly starting a fire, in an attack Kyiv blamed on Russia.