The IAEA representatives were granted unrestricted access and inspected the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) after a Russian drone hit the plantʼs shelter on the night of February 14. They confirmed that radiation levels were normal.
This is stated in the IAEA statement.
A large area was affected by the Russian attack. On February 14, a Russian drone blew a hole in the roof of the New Safe Confinement — this large arch-shaped shelter covers the old sarcophagus of the fourth power unit of the Chornobyl NPP and prevents the spread of radiation outward.
IAEA recorded that both the outer and inner shell of the arch were damaged, with a six-meter hole. Some other equipment and electrical cables were also damaged. The supporting beams were not significantly damaged. IAEA experts saw smoke coming from the roof of the New Safe Confinement.
“As I have repeatedly stated during this devastating war, an attack on a nuclear facility is absolutely unacceptable and should never happen,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
He noted that "this is particularly worrying" given the fact that military activity in the area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has also increased. Therefore, according to Grossi, nuclear safety remains under threat.
The shelter repair was postponed due to a fire, which was fueled by the flammable roof material. The stationʼs chief engineer Oleksandr Tytarchuk previously reported that specialists would work on a shelter restoration project. According to him, this is "a matter of more than one month".
Yesterday, it was reported that the fire at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant is still being extinguished after the Russian attack. The work of rescuers is being complicated by sub-zero temperatures, snow, and icing on the structure.
“Ukrainian firefighters are working around the clock in freezing weather to fully extinguish small fires that are still smoldering after Friday’s strike,” said the IAEA Director General.
The Chornobyl NPP reported that after the fire is extinguished, additional sensors will also be installed to measure the dose rate and aerosol concentration near the attack site.
- 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.
- In the first days of the full-scale war, Russian troops, who invaded Ukraine from Belarus, captured the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and took up positions in the Exclusion Zone. Despite life-threatening levels of radiation, the occupiers dug trenches in the Red Forest and, presumably, removed deadly sources of ionizing radiation from the Chornobyl laboratory. The Russians withdrew from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the Exclusion Zone on March 31, 2022.The area with the highest level of radioactive contamination in the Zone, except for Chernobyl Unit 4.
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