Chornobyl protective shield can no longer perform key safety function after drone strike, UN says

The New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster, has been unable to perform its main safety function after damage caused by a drone, the UN's nuclear watchdog has said.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as reported by Reuters

Details: IAEA said that last week's inspection of the steel protective structure, whose construction was completed in 2019, found that a drone strike in February had damaged the facility.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the inspection mission confirmed that the structure had lost its main safety functions including the ability to contain radioactive material but found no permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that 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 repair work had already been carried out "but comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety".

On 14 February 2025, the UN said that the Ukrainian authorities reported that a drone carrying an explosive warhead hit the plant, causing a fire and damaging the protective cover around Unit No. 4 which was destroyed during the 1986 disaster.

The UN said in February that radiation levels remained normal and stable and that no radiation leaks had been reported.

Background: The IAEA has sent additional experts to the Chornobyl NPP to carry out a comprehensive safety assessment of the New Safe Confinement after it was damaged by a Russian drone strike in February 2025.

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