Russia attacks sarcophagus at Chornobyl NPP: Details about possible threat
Photo: Russians attacked the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) (Getty Images)
Russia struck the sarcophagus of the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with a drone on the night of February 14. As a result, the shelter was damaged.
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Details of attack
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that on the night of February 14, a Russian drone hit the sarcophagus of the destroyed fourth power unit at the Chornobyl NPP. According to him, this was an attack drone with an explosive warhead.
Due to a UAV strike, the sarcophagus was damaged, and a fire occurred.
"The shelter at the Chornobyl 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," Zelenskyy stated.
Zelenskyy also reminded that Ukraine built the sarcophagus together with other countries, including European nations and the United States. Against the backdrop of this Russian terrorist act, he urged partners to increase pressure on Moscow.
Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak shared photos of the aftermath of the attack on the Chornobyl NPP.
The IAEA confirmed that around 01:50 today, an explosion occurred at the Chornobyl NPP. The agency reported that the drone crashed into the roof of the new protective shell, which covers the destroyed fourth power unit. The explosion caused a fire on the roof of the isolation shell.
The IAEA added that firefighters responded within minutes. According to observers, there are currently no signs of a breach in the internal protective shell. According to the Agency, there were no casualties.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the incident at Chornobyl and the recent increase in military activity around the Zaporizhzhia NPP highlight the ongoing risks to nuclear safety.
Andriy Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that the situation at Chornobyl is stable. However, he emphasized that the Russians are deliberately launching drones over the station, constantly experimenting with the flight altitude of the Shahed UAVs, and attempting to fly as low as possible.
"They pose a nuclear threat to the world, which has invested in the safety of Chornobyl. Moscow is responsible for the Chornobyl disaster, and the same Moscow is now posing a threat to Chornobyl," Kovalenco added.
Daria Zarivna, Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, noted that the Ukrainian delegation at the Munich Security Conference will discuss the strike on Chornobyl NPP with their partners.
"Today in Munich, we will discuss the Russian attack on Chornobyl with our allies and the United States," she wrote on Telegram.
Yermak confirmed that Ukraine will raise the issue of Russia's strike on Chornobyl NPP at the Munich conference. According to him, the conference participants were "angry" about the news of the attack.
"They are not 'concerned,' as is often the case, but really angry. Because in the 1980s, the whole world helped the Kremlin to eliminate this tragedy when Moscow exposed unprotected people to radiation. Gorbachev received robots, equipment, and scientists. Then, the entire world invested in the shelter, and today these Russian idiots have launched a drone at it," he wrote on social media.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, in response to the attack on Chornobyl, called on partners to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
"The enemy only understands strength. Therefore, we urge our partners to impose decisive sanctions on Russia, including its nuclear industry. We must weaken the aggressor as much as possible," Shmyhal stated.
Radiation threat possibility
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that after the Russian attack, the radiation levels at the Chornobyl NPP had not increased. This continues to be monitored.
This information was confirmed by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the IAEA.
"The radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable. No casualties have been reported. The IAEA continues to monitor the situation," stated the Agency.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that the radiation level at the Chornobyl NPP industrial site was 0.57 μSv/h, which is within permissible limits.
Sarcophagus and its background
On April 26, 1986, a disaster occurred at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which is considered the largest technological catastrophe in human history.
The total radiation from isotopes released into the air as a result of the Chornobyl disaster was 30-40 times higher than that from the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. However, Soviet authorities attempted to cover up the disaster. The Chornobyl accident became known when increased radiation levels were recorded in Denmark and Sweden.
By the end of the summer of 1986, over 90,000 people had been evacuated from the contaminated zone at Chornobyl, and 81 settlements in Ukraine became uninhabitable.
A so-called sarcophagus was built over the destroyed fourth power unit at the Chornobyl NPP to protect against radiation contamination. In April 2012, construction began on a new, safer shell above the reactor. In July 2019, the new confinement was put into operation.
The international community allocated 1.5 billion euros for this project. According to estimates, it was designed to last at least 100 years. In total, the new safe confinement at the Chornobyl NPP is the largest mobile land-based structure ever built, measuring 165 meters long, 257 meters wide, 108 meters high, and weighing 36,000 tons.
On February 24, 2022, Russian troops entered the Chornobyl zone from the territory of Belarus.
The Chornobyl NPP and the exclusion zone were under Russian occupation until March 31, and on April 2, the Ukrainian Armed Forces officially liberated the Chornobyl zone. During this period, Russian soldiers damaged and looted measurement devices, telecommunications, computer, and office equipment.
