UN: Chornobyl shield damaged by drone strike
The U.N. nuclear watchdog has warned that the protective shield at the Chornobyl nuclear plant—built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster—has lost its primary safety function after being damaged by a drone strike earlier this year.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), inspectors found that the New Safe Confinement structure, completed in 2019, was hit in February, three years into Russia’s war in Ukraine. The strike caused degradation to the steel enclosure over reactor No. 4, which exploded in 1986, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the inspection confirmed the structure’s confinement capability had been compromised, though its main load-bearing elements and monitoring systems remain intact. Initial repairs have been made, but full restoration is essential to prevent further deterioration and ensure long-term nuclear safety, he added.
Ukrainian authorities reported in February that a Russian drone carrying a high-explosive warhead struck the site, sparking a fire and damaging external cladding. Moscow has denied targeting the plant. Radiation levels remained normal and stable, and no leaks were detected.
Chornobyl was seized by Russian forces in the first weeks of the 2022 invasion before they withdrew. The IAEA’s inspection coincided with a broader assessment of wartime damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
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