Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Sunday’s 40th‑anniversary message, said Russian drones keep flying over Chornobyl and called the overflights and last year’s strike “nuclear terrorism.”
- The New Safe Confinement that covers Reactor 4 was pierced by a Russian Shahed‑type drone in February 2025, leaving a roughly 15 square meter hole that workers patched.
- After a December inspection, the IAEA said the structure had lost its primary safety functions, and Director General Rafael Grossi said repairs should start as soon as possible.
- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates full repairs at about €500 million, France pledged €10 million, and Ukraine is seeking broader donor support and sanctions on Rosatom.
- Ukrainian officials report routine Russian drones within 20 kilometers of the site, with at least 92 flights within 5 kilometers since mid‑2024, which hampers decades‑long decommissioning work by more than 2,000 staff.