There is a possibility of radiation leakage at the Chornobyl NPP after the Russian attack — the situation is still under control

As a result of a Russian drone hitting the Chornobyl NPP shelter on February 14, "under certain circumstances" a leak of radioactive substances is possible.

This was reported to an Ukrinform correspondent by the stationʼs chief engineer Oleksandr Tytarchuk.

He said that the first sarcophagus of the Chornobyl station will soon be 40 years old — it was built immediately after the accident. A new confinement facility was built with funds from the international community, which isolates radiation.

"[After the Russian drone hit] the [Chornobyl NPP] shelter ceased to perform its function. Now there is a possibility of radioactive substances being released due to certain actions that may be carried out at the old shelter facility," says Tytarchuk.

The situation is currently under control: no excess radiation background is observed. Now specialists will work on a project to restore the shelter. According to the chief engineer of the Chornobyl NPP, this is “a matter of more than one month.”

"The consequences could have been catastrophic. If, say, a drone had hit 15 meters to the side above the old shelter, it would have been a radiation accident of a completely different category," added the head of the State Agency for the Exclusion Zone Hryhorii Ishchenko.

• On the night of February 14, a Russian strike drone with a high-explosive warhead hit a shelter at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, causing a fire. The radiation level did not increase, although the damage was significant. This shelter protects Ukraine and the world from radiation from the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
• The Kyiv Regional Prosecutorʼs Office has launched an investigation into the attack on the station by the occupiers.

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