The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the protective shield over Chornobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine can no longer perform its main task after it was hit by drone in February 2025.
On Friday, the UN watchdog said that its team completed a comprehensive safety assessment of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chornobyl site and found that the drone impact had degraded the structure built to prevent any radioactive release from the reactor destroyed in the 1986 accident.
The inspection revealed that the NSC 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.
In the light of this, the IAEA Director-General, Rafael Grossi, noted that temporary repairs have been carried out, but “timely and comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety.”
On February 14, 2025, Ukrainian authorities said that the plant was hit by a drone with a high explosive warhead, blaming the strike on Russia. However, Moscow denied responsibility for the strike.
The attack triggered a fire and damaged the protective cladding around reactor Number Four, which had been destroyed in the 1986 explosion and sent radiation across Europe.
The plant’s last functioning reactor was shut down in 2000. The New Safe Confinement was completed in 2019 through a European-led effort at a cost of approximately $1.75 billion (€1.5bn), according to the Guardian.
