Chernobyl Nuclear Plant's Protective Shield Compromised: IAEA Confirms Safety Function Loss After Drone Strike

The New Safe Confinement structure at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has sustained damage that compromises its functionality, according to recent reports.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog announced on Friday that the protective shield at the Chornobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine can no longer fulfill its primary safety function due to damage from a drone strike. Ukrainian authorities have attributed this attack to Russia.

Following an inspection conducted last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the steel confinement structure, which was completed in 2019, has been significantly degraded following a drone impact in February, three years into the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the "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 further noted that while some repairs have already been implemented, "comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety."

On February 14, the UN reported that Ukrainian authorities had documented a drone carrying a high explosive warhead striking the plant. This attack resulted in a fire and damaged the protective cladding surrounding reactor Number Four, the same reactor that was destroyed in the catastrophic 1986 disaster.

While Ukrainian officials maintain that the drone was Russian in origin, Moscow has categorically denied any involvement in attacking the plant.

The UN confirmed in February that radiation levels remained normal and stable, with no reports of radiation leaks following the incident.

The 1986 Chornobyl disaster resulted in radiation spreading across Europe and prompted Soviet authorities to mobilize extensive resources to address the accident. The plant's final operational reactor was decommissioned in 2000.

During the initial phase of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces occupied the plant and surrounding area for over a month as they attempted to advance toward Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

The recent IAEA inspection coincided with a country-wide assessment of damage to electrical infrastructure caused by the nearly four-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia.