Particle.news
Download on the App Store
23 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Chernobyl at 40 as Kyiv Alleges ‘Nuclear Terrorism’ and Safety Shield Remains Compromised

The IAEA reports the arch over Reactor 4 lost its primary safety functions after a 2025 drone strike.

FILE - Lyudmilla Ignatenko, right, the widow of firefighter Vasily Ignatenko, mourns at his grave at Mitinskoye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, April 26, 2001, the 15th anniversary of the explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. With her at the cemetery is her son, who was not identified. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
We can make sure another Chornobyl disaster does not happen, here is how
People bring candles at a memorial dedicated to firefighters and workers who died after the 1986 Chornobyl (Chernobyl) nuclear disaster, ahead of its 40th anniversary in Slavutych, Ukraine, Saturday, April 25, 2026. Chornobyl is the Ukrainian name for the city. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)
FILE - Russian Emergency Ministry troops march at Mitinskoye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, April 26, 2018, the 32nd anniversary of the explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Several victims of the disaster are buried in the cemetery. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

Overview

  • Ukraine, which marked the 40th anniversary Sunday, heard President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuse Russia of nuclear terrorism and point to regular drone overflights and last year’s strike on Chernobyl’s protective shell.
  • IAEA inspectors said in December 2025 that the New Safe Confinement — the giant steel arch built in 2016 to encase the ruined reactor — no longer fulfills its core safety role after a drone punctured its outer cladding and sparked a fire.
  • Repair needs are extensive and costly, with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimating about €500 million, yet continued Russian drone activity near the site raises fresh risks and could slow full restoration.
  • War-related hazards remain acute, with Ukrainian officials reporting frequent drones within 20 km of Chernobyl and AFP noting three civilian deaths Sunday from one of Russia’s large overnight drone barrages across the country.
  • Life and memory persist around the site as about 2,000–2,250 staff rotate to manage decommissioning in the exclusion zone and residents of Slavutych keep a midnight vigil, even as managers warn the damaged shelter has lost leak‑tightness.