A protective shield at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in war-torn Ukraine, built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster, can no longer perform its main safety function due to drone damage, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday, a strike Ukraine has attributed to Russia.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said an inspection last week of the steel confinement structure completed in 2019 found the drone impact in February, three years into Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, had degraded the structure.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement the inspection “mission confirmed that the [protective structure] had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability, but also found that there was no permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems”.
Grossi said repairs had already been carried out “but comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety”.
The UN reported on February 14 that Ukrainian authorities said a drone with a high explosive warhead struck the plant, caused a fire and damaged the protective cladding around reactor No 4, which was destroyed in the 1986 disaster.
Ukrainian authorities said the drone was Russian. Moscow denied it had attacked the plant.
Radiation levels remained normal and stable and there were no reports of radiation leaks, the UN said in February.