Drone attack on Chernobyl: Security risks rise again!

Drone attack on Chernobyl: Security risks rise again!

Tschernobyl, Ukraine - An alarming incident occurred in Chernobyl this morning: a drone attack led to a fire in the monitoring facility of the Chernobyl reactor, which was badly damaged in 1986 by the catastrophe. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the general director of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA), described this incident as a serious warning and underlined the continuing risks of nuclear security in times of military conflict. A team at the IAEA was on site and reported that they heard an explosion at 01:50 am, followed by smoke and flames that damaged the newly built security coat, the New Safe Confinement (NSC). Firefighters hurried to the site to extinguish the fire that was visible for several hours.

The examinations carried out then showed a break in the outer shell of the NSC, as confirmed by the Ukrainian supervisory authority. The condition of the inner structure is currently being checked, but the radiation values in and outside the building remained stable and normal. This was done in the middle of growing military activities in the area of the Saporischschja nuclear power plant, which caused Grossi to testify that the nuclear security of Ukraine was constantly in danger. "There is no reason for complacency," said Grossi, who at the same time formulated an appeal to the military actors to protect maximum reluctance near the nuclear facilities. The IAEA will continue to report on the development of the situation in Chernobyl to provide the international community current information on how it can be found on the IAEA website.

The IAEA remains on the highest alert and has intensified its activities in Ukraine to check nuclear security and security aspects. The IAEA's permanent team at the five Ukrainian nuclear power plants works closely with the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that these security standards are maintained. In view of the critical conditions, Grossi has repeatedly offered support to the Ukrainian authorities and regularly traveled to Ukraine to assess the situation and have discussions on a high level, as the IAEA explains in its reports.