Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russia and says damage is ‘significant’
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine said they had been told a drone caused a fire after striking the roof of the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the €1.5bn ($1.57bn) structure which protects the remains of the destroyed Unit 4 at the site.
The agency said on social media that during the night of 13-14 February, at around 01:50, the team at Chernobyl heard an explosion coming from the NSC. “They were informed that a UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] had struck the NSC roof.
“Fire safety personnel and vehicles responded within minutes,” the agency said on X.
It added: “At this moment, there is no indication of a breach in the NSC’s inner containment. Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable. No casualties reported. IAEA continues monitoring the situation.”
IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said the incident at Chernobyl and recent increase in military activity around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine underline persistent nuclear safety risks.
“There is no room for complacency, and the IAEA remains on high alert,” he said.
Grossi has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the continued risk of nuclear accidents as a result of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and energy infrastructure, including nuclear plants.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X: “Last night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the shelter protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.”
Zelenskyy said: “The shelter at the Chernobyl NPP was damaged by this drone. The fire has been extinguished. As of now, radiation levels have not increased and are being constantly monitored. According to initial assessments, the damage to the shelter is significant.”
The NSC was constructed to seal off Unit 4, which was destroyed in the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl.
The giant steel structure with a height of 108 metres, length of 162 metres and an arch span of 257 metres is designed to protect the environment from radiation releases and provide the infrastructure to support the deconstruction of the shelter and nuclear waste management operations.
