US EditionRussian strike could collapse Chernobyl shelter: plant director
The New Safe Confinement at Chernobyl has lost key safety functions after a Russian strike, with repairs expected to take three to four years, the plant director said.
- Last week, Chernobyl plant director Sergiy Tarakanov warned a Russian strike could collapse the internal radiation shelter, saying, `If a missile or drone hits it directly, or even falls somewhere nearby, for example, an Iskander, God forbid, it will cause a mini-earthquake in the area.`
- Earlier this year a February strike severely damaged the New Safe Confinement roof, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said earlier this month the shelter lost its primary safety functions.
- The main hole has been sealed with a protective screen, but around 300 smaller holes drilled by firefighters still need repairs, and Sergiy Tarakanov said radiation levels remain "stable and within normal limits."
- No one can guarantee that the shelter facility will remain standing after that, Kyiv says Russian forces have repeatedly targeted the site since Moscow's 2022 invasion and briefly seized the plant early on.
- The plant is sealed by an inner Sarcophagus and an outer NSC, and Sergiy Tarakanov said damage has left the site dangerously exposed, with repairs expected to be lengthy.
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44 Articles
Chornobyl Shelter at Risk of Collapse If Russia Strikes Again, Warns Plant Director
The Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s protective sarcophagus could collapse if subjected to further Russian strikes, even without a direct hit, the facility’s director has warned. In an interview with AFP on December 23, Serhii Tarakanov, director of the Chornobyl plant, said the integrity of the New Safe Confinement (NSC)—the massive steel structure built to contain the remains of Reactor No. 4—has been compromised by recent attacks. The reactor …
At the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there is a serious risk of damage to the internal radiation shelter in the event of a new Russian strike.
The New Security Enclosure was severely damaged in a Russian drone attack last February.
Kievul has repeatedly accused Russia that it attacked the facility, where in 1986 the most serious nuclear disaster in history took place since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. A Russian attack could cause the invasion of the internal post...
Chernobyl Chief Warns Russian Strike Could Collapse Radiation Shelter
A Russian strike could cause the internal radiation shelter at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station to collapse, the plant’s director has warned. Sergiy Tarakanov told AFP that another direct or nearby hit could trigger vibrations strong enough to bring down the inner structure protecting the remains of the reactor that exploded in 1986. He said a missile or drone strike, including from Russia’s Iskander ballistic missile system, could cr…
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