IAEA flags damage to Chornobyl nuclear plant’s protective shield in Ukraine

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The IAEA has recovered a drone degraded the shield successful February, successful a onslaught Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out.

Published On 6 Dec 2025

A drone onslaught has damaged a protective shield astatine the Chornobyl atomic works successful Ukraine, rendering it incapable to incorporate the radioactive worldly from the 1986 detonation of the plant, the United Nations atomic watchdog said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said connected Friday that the shield tin nary longer execute its main information function, pursuing an inspection of the alloy operation past week.

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The bureau recovered the drone interaction had degraded the shield successful February, successful a onslaught Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out, with the 2 countries’ ongoing struggle present successful its 4th year.

Throughout the war, Russia and Ukraine person accused each different of blocking the rotation of unit from the IAEA astatine the Zaporizhzhia installation and of risking a perchance devastating atomic catastrophe by attacking the site.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said successful a connection that the inspection “mission confirmed that the [protective structure] had mislaid its superior information functions, including the confinement capability, but besides recovered that determination was nary imperishable harm to its load-bearing structures oregon monitoring systems”.

Grossi said repairs had already been carried retired “but broad restoration remains indispensable to forestall further degradation and guarantee semipermanent atomic safety”.

The UN reported connected February 14 that Ukrainian authorities said a drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the plant, caused a occurrence and damaged the protective cladding astir reactor fig four, which was destroyed successful the 1986 Chornobyl explosion.

Ukrainian authorities said the drone was Russian; however, Moscow denied it had attacked the plant.

Radiation levels remained mean and stable, and determination had been nary reports of radiation leaks, the UN said successful February.

The 1986 Chornobyl detonation sent radiation crossed Europe and prompted Soviet Union authorities to mobilise immense numbers of men and instrumentality to woody with the accident. The plant’s past moving reactor was closed successful 2000.

Russia occupied the works and the surrounding country for much than a period successful the archetypal weeks of its February 2022 penetration of Ukraine arsenic its forces initially tried to beforehand connected the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

The IAEA had conducted the inspection astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic a country-wide survey of harm to energy substations by the astir four-year warfare betwixt Ukraine and Russia.

Earlier connected Friday, Ukraine’s nationalist grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced that electricity restrictions would beryllium successful spot nationwide from Saturday owed to Russian attacks connected vigor facilities.

The attacks hap arsenic the United States has been gathering with officials of some countries, successful an effort to usher successful a long-awaited ceasefire. 

US President Donald Trump’s peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff has been holding talks with Ukraine’s elder negotiator Rustem Umerov successful Miami, Florida, aft Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Moscow earlier this week.

Last month, the US revealed a 28 proposal to extremity the Russia-Ukraine war, seen by galore arsenic much favourable to Russia’s maximalist demands and warfare narrative.

The demands for Ukraine to cede territory are reddish lines for Kyiv and forbidden successful the nation’s constitution.

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