Chernobyl under threat as drone strike damages radiation containment system

A drone strike has critically damaged the protective structure over the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, compromising its ability to contain radiation, according to Shaun Burnie, a nuclear expert.

The Greenpeace coordinator said the attack breached the integrity of the New Safe Confinement, meaning the system designed to contain radioactive materials is no longer fully functional, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“It can no longer fully contain radiation, which could potentially escape,” Burnie noted.

He warned that if the structure were to collapse, radioactive dust could be stirred up inside the facility and partially released into the environment, significantly complicating efforts to control radiation levels.

According to the expert, a collapse of the sarcophagus would undo decades of work aimed at mitigating the consequences of the disaster.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov