Chornobyl shield at risk after Russian strike, director warns
The protective structure over the fourth reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant could collapse after damage from a Russian strike earlier this year, plant director Serhii Tarakanov warned.
“No one can guarantee that the shelter facility will remain standing after that. That is the main threat,” Tarakanov told, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The fourth reactor famously melted down in April 1986. A steel containment shield installed in 2019 was designed to prevent radiation leaks. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that a Russian drone strike earlier this year damaged the structure, creating a large hole and numerous smaller ones after a fire.
Repairs could take three to four years. Tarakanov warned that another strike before completion could collapse the inner containment shell, which was hastily built after the 1986 meltdown.
“If a missile or drone hits it directly, or even falls nearby, it could cause a mini-earthquake in the area,” he said.
The site, about 130 km north of Kyiv and 15 km from Belarus, was briefly occupied by Russian troops early in the 2022 invasion. Officials have stressed the urgency of repairing the containment structure to prevent radiation leaks.
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