Ukraine allocates $37 million to strengthen safety at Chornobyl plant

Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy announced that the government has allocated more than 1.6 billion hryvnias (approximately $37 million) from the state budget to carry out safety measures at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The funding will be directed, among other things, toward addressing the последствия of a Russian attack on the plant’s protective confinement structure, according to the ministry’s press service, cited by Caliber.Az.

The goal is to maintain key Chornobyl facilities in a safe condition amid wartime challenges.

The ministry emphasised that Ukraine will continue efforts to ensure the safety of the plant’s three power units, the spent nuclear fuel storage facility, and radioactive waste storage sites.

“However, eliminating global risks is possible only if Russia ceases its attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities. The world must provide a clear response to such acts of terror, including limiting the rights of the aggressor state within the structure of the IAEA,” the ministry stated.

The damage referenced stems from a February 14, 2025, drone strike — which Ukraine attributes to Russia (a claim Moscow denies) — that targeted the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the massive steel arch completed in 2019 to enclose the destroyed Reactor 4 and contain radioactive material for up to 100 years. The attack, involving a Geran-2 (Shahed-type) drone with a high-explosive warhead, caused a fire, breached both internal and external layers, and created a significant hole.

By Khagan Isayev