Russia Nuclear authority: Comprehensive clean-up of the Chernobyl shell necessary
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the protective shell around the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant needs to be extensively renovated in the near future. Limited provisional repairs were carried out following a drone strike in February, but a prompt and comprehensive restoration is necessary, said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi according to the press release. This is the only way to ensure long-term nuclear safety.
06.12.2025, 11:06
SDA
The latest safety assessment by an IAEA team revealed that the hull had lost its primary protective functions following the drone strike. This also includes its containment capability.
The agency is now recommending further restoration and protection measures, including those to control moisture, an updated corrosion monitoring program and an improvement to the automatic monitoring system for the sarcophagus, which was erected over the damaged reactor immediately after the disaster.
According to the authority, further preliminary repairs are to be carried out in the coming year to promote the containment capability of the hull.
Drone strike in February
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the time, a Russian drone damaged the protective shell of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was damaged almost 40 years ago, in February. Increased radiation levels were not reported afterwards. The Kremlin had denied a Russian attack on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
In the Russian war of aggression, which has been going on for almost four and a half years, there have been repeated incidents at the partially decommissioned nuclear power plants in Ukraine. According to Kiev, the sarcophagus above the destroyed reactor block of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was last without power at the beginning of October. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been shut down and occupied by Russian troops since March 2022, was cut off from the external power supply for around a month in the autumn.
