Reactor shield in Chernobyl struck by drone from Russia

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February 15, 2025
2 min read

Reactor shield in Chernobyl struck by drone from Russia

A drone from Russia has attacked a Chernobyl reactor, damaging its radiation shelter, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed. The attack overnight hit the shelter of the former nuclear power plant’s fourth power unit, triggering a fire which has since been extinguished, he said.

Radiation levels on the Chernobyl reactor have not increased, the President added. Fire safety personnel and vehicles responded within minutes of an overnight explosion, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It reported no casualties.

The IAEA monitors nuclear safety all over the world. Radiation levels both inside and outside the reactor remain normal and stable, it has said, adding that it remains on “high alert” following the drone strike. There is “no room for complacency,” director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

Chernobyl was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. The catastrophic explosion in 1986 sent a plume of radioactive material into the air, causing a public health emergency that affected many parts of Europe including neighbouring Belarus.

Footage posted on X by Zelensky appeared to show damage to the giant reactor shield. The shield is made of concrete and steel and covers the remains of the reactor that lost its roof in the explosion.

The shield is built to prevent any further radioactive material from leaking out over the next 100 years. It is 275m (900ft) wide and 108m (354ft) tall and cost Ukraine $1.6 billion (£1.3 billion) to build.

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