Protective cover in a nuclear power plant Chernobyl, in war-torn Ukraine, built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster, can no longer perform its main safety function due to damage caused by a drone, it said on Friday (5 December). nuclear agency of the United Nations. Ukraine claims that the coup was carried out by Russia.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said last week's inspection of the steel containment structure, completed in 2019, found that a February drone strike had damaged the structure.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the mission "confirmed that (the protective structure) lost its primary safety functions, including the ability to contain radioactive material, but that there was no permanent damage to the load-bearing elements or monitoring systems."
Grossi added that repairs have already been made, "but that a comprehensive renovation is still necessary to prevent further deterioration and ensure long-term nuclear safety."
There is no increase in radioactivity in Serbia
There is no increase in radioactivity on the territory of Serbia, announced the Directorate for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security on the occasion of the announcement of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reports FoNet.
The Directorate pointed out that the values of the strength of the ambient dose equivalent of gamma radiation on the territory of the Republic of Serbia are within the usual levels and that there is no increase in the level of radioactivity in the country.
Drone damage in February
The United Nations said on February 14 that Ukrainian authorities said a drone with a high-explosive warhead had hit the plant, causing a fire and damaging the containment around reactor number four, which was destroyed in the 1986 disaster.
Ukrainian authorities said the drone was Russian. Moscow has denied that it attacked the power plant.
Radiation levels remained normal and stable and there were no reports of radiation leaks, the United Nations said at the time.
The Chernobyl explosion in 1986 sent a radioactive plume across Europe and forced the Soviet authorities to mobilize huge numbers of people and equipment to deal with the aftermath of the accident. The last active reactor in the power plant was shut down in 2000.
Russia held the plant and its surrounding area under occupation for more than a month during the first weeks of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as its forces initially tried to push their way towards the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
The IAEA conducted the inspection at the same time as an extensive review of damage to power substations across the country caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia that began in February 2022.
How to repair the damaged shell of the nuclear plant in Chernobyl?
Source: Reuters
