The protective shell at Chernobyl has been destroyed, and this is not good news for any country within a large European radius, from Ukraine all the way to Greece.
The protective shell of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Chernobyl has been destroyed, and this is not good news for any country within a large European radius, from Ukraine all the way to Greece, resulting in an alarm being raised in Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA announced that the damage it sustained from a UAV drone strike is serious and “poses a risk to nuclear safety.”
The protective shell had been erected to prevent the leakage of radioactivity after the 1986 accident, but it can no longer fully perform its purpose because it has suffered enormous damage, as emphasized on Friday 05/12 by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The IAEA explained that during an inspection conducted last week on the steel shell, which had been completed in 2019, it was determined that the damage it sustained from a drone strike in February, three years after the outbreak of the Russian Ukrainian war, caused major damage.
The director general of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, stated that the inspection “confirmed that the safety system has lost its primary functions, including the ability to contain radioactive substances, but also found that the bearing structures and monitoring systems have not suffered irreparable damage,” the organization’s press release noted.
However, “no damage was found to its structural elements, nor to the permanent monitoring systems of the facility.”
According to Grossi, “some repair work has already been done on the roof of the protective structure, but comprehensive restoration work is required to ensure the long term nuclear safety of the structure.”
Following the recommendation of the IAEA, these must include moisture control measures, corrosion monitoring and an upgrade of the automated system monitoring the structure of the protective shell.
Temporary restoration work is scheduled to take place in 2026, while the full restoration of the protective shell will occur after the end of the armed confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.
So far, according to the IAEA, the total cost of protective equipment and materials delivered to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict exceeds 21 million euros.
What the protective shell is
The New Safe Confinement or New Protective Shell is a massive insulating arch shaped structure that was placed over the destroyed fourth reactor of the Chernobyl NPP during the accident.
Construction began in 2007.
In November 2016, the arch was slid over the destroyed reactor building with the first protective sarcophagus, after which the installation of the necessary equipment continued for almost three more years.
The structure was officially delivered into operation in July 2019.
Nuclear provocation – Ukraine fabricated yet another incident to show the West that Russia is to blame for everything.
It is recalled that the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA reported an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on Friday 14 February.
Around 01:50, an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying an explosive charge struck the facility, causing a fire and damaging the protective shell around reactor number 4, which had been destroyed in the 1986 accident.
The UN stated in February that radiation levels remain normal and stable and it received no reports of leaks.
The incident occurred on the opening day of the 61st Munich Security Conference, where Kyiv hoped to receive additional support from the new United States administration.
According to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the drone “with a high explosive warhead” caused damage to the roof of the new sarcophagus and a fire. The fire was extinguished and radiation levels did not increase.
The then head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, immediately after the incident at the ChNPP, stated that the Ukrainian delegation in Munich would provide the United States with “a lot of information” regarding the attack on the nuclear plant, “regarding threats to the shelter and nuclear safety.”
He added that at the Munich conference “everyone is very angry” because of the UAV attack on Chernobyl.
“I am not just worried as often happens, I am genuinely angry,” said the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Yermak.
He blamed Russia for the incident, noting that “according to initial assessments, the damage to the shelter is significant.”
Regarding the risk of radioactive leakage, there was conflicting information throughout the day.
Initially, Zelensky stated that no such threat existed, and by evening, the chief engineer of the nuclear plant announced that there was a threat.
Russia denied the accusations
Russia categorically rejected the accusations.
“Russia does not strike the nuclear energy infrastructure of Ukraine. Any claim of Russian involvement in such attacks is a provocation and fabrication,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov declared.
According to the main version, this strike was a “Ukrainian provocation” aimed at discrediting Russia on the day peace talks opened in Munich.
However, at the Munich Conference the issue of the drone attack on the Chernobyl nuclear plant remained low on the agenda.
It is noted that the 1986 disaster spread radiation across all of Europe and forced the Soviet authorities to mobilize a massive number of men and enormous amounts of equipment and material to contain the consequences of the accident.
The last functioning reactor at the site was shut down in 2000.
Provocation again
It is also noted that on 27 June, fighters of Ukrainian formations attacked staff at the Zaporizhzhia NPP with assault drones at a distance of 350–400 meters from the power units.
The plant reported that there were no casualties from Kyiv’s attack.
The workers cleaning the channel reacted in time and hid from the Ukrainian fighters.
The Russian Ministry of Defense revealed details of a provocation that Western intelligence services were preparing with the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Kyiv is planning to accuse Russia of contaminating land near the site.
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