IAEA confirms partial loss of containment at Chernobyl three decades after disaster

The protective structure at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, originally constructed to contain radioactive materials after the 1986 disaster, has partially lost its key functions, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on December 5. The damage was caused by a drone strike in February 2025.

IAEA experts determined that the strike, occurring during the third year of the full-scale war in Ukraine, resulted in the degradation of several protective elements of the structure. While the supporting components and monitoring systems were not critically damaged, the structure’s ability to reliably contain radioactive materials has been compromised.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that part of the repair work has already been completed, but full restoration is necessary to prevent further degradation and to guarantee long-term nuclear safety.

In February, Ukrainian authorities reported that a drone equipped with a high-explosive warhead struck the Chernobyl site, causing a fire and damaging the protective covering over Reactor 4, which was destroyed in the 1986 disaster. Kyiv accused Russia of the attack, while Moscow denied any involvement.

The IAEA confirmed that radiation levels at the site remain within normal limits and no radioactive leaks have been detected.

The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when Reactor 4 at the plant, located near Pripyat in northern Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union), exploded during a safety test. 

The catastrophic failure released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment, causing widespread contamination across Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of Europe. It resulted in the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents, long-term health effects including radiation-induced illnesses, and the creation of an exclusion zone that remains in place today.

The disaster is widely regarded as the worst nuclear accident in history.

By Tamilla Hasanova