On the morning of Feb. 14, a Russian strike drone which carried an explosive warhead hit the protective structure that was built over the ruined number 4 reactor at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. This is the same reactor that exploded in 1986, a disaster that was re-enacted in the 2019 HBO series Chernobyl.
The ruin is protected by two unique constructions. The first protective Sarcophagus was built in 1986, but according to nuclear engineers, it was little more than a crude and hastily built “steel shed,” which soon displayed cracks and openings. It may have protected the destroyed reactor from the weather but could not prevent radioactive emissions.
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The second structure, known as the New Safe Confinement “Arch,” was constructed between 2012 and 2016 and on completion was slid into place over the old Sarcophagus. This massive international project, built in cooperation with Ukraine and funded by multiple countries, cost €1.5 billion (approximately $2 billion). Weighing 36,000 tons, the structure is taller than the Statue of Liberty or London’s Big Ben.
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Damage caused by the drone strike
The first reports, along with photos and videos of the damage, were published on the official Facebook page of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The shelter at the Chernobyl NPP was damaged by this drone. The fire was extinguished. At the moment, background radiation has not increased and is being constantly monitored. According to initial estimates, the damage to the shelter is significant,” Zelensky wrote.
Judging by photos of the damage, Sergii Mirnyi, a research fellow at the National Museum Chernobyl, an ecologist, and a former commander of the radiation reconnaissance platoon during the 1986 disaster cleanup believes the protective shell has been penetrated.
“It pierced it. The shell was clearly punctured - this is obvious from the photos taken inside the Arch,” he said.
Denis Vyshnevsky, an ecologist and an employee of the State Agency for the Management of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, reported shortly after the attack that radiation levels remained normal as of the morning of Feb. 14.
Nuclear industry representatives, speaking anonymously to Kyiv Post, confirmed that the Russian drone strike caused a through-and-through hole and that equipment inside the arch had been damaged. However, they declined to specify the extent of the damage but reiterated that radiation levels at the station had not increased.
“So far, the level of radioactivity is normal. First, the hole is small, and secondly, we still have the old Sarcophagus inside. The main problem is that this attack has halted all ongoing work under the arch - long-term efforts related to the sarcophagus - which will now be suspended indefinitely,” one industry representative said.
Deliberate Russian provocation?
Experts expressed the view that Russian forces had deliberately targeted the Arch.
“There are no military targets at the station. It is a peaceful facility - and more than that, it is a post-accident site that is under constant inspection, including by our international partners,” one nuclear scientist said. He added that drones had been flying around the station frequently in recent weeks.
It was noted that the drone that struck the reactor shelter came from the north, indicating that it was probably launched from Belarus - an ally of Russia that, in 2022, allowed Russian forces to use its territory to initiate the full-scale invasion along with missile and drone strikes on Ukraine.
“In the photos, we can see the remains of the drone and even the rather well-preserved engine. This is very important - its markings will be a valuable evidence for our international partners to undertake further countermeasures against Russia and its aggression,” Mirnyi said.
Consequences
All interviewees agree that there are unlikely to be immediate consequences for the civilian population. As a matter of emergency, the hole in the shelter can soon be temporarily patched. However, the Arch is a highly complex structure, so fully restoring it and assuring its reliability could take a considerable time.
Experts estimate the repair cost to be between $50 million and $300 million, with several months of work required by a team of highly specialized professionals from multiple countries.
“This is an absolutely unique structure - the world-largest arch structure and the largest land-based mobile structure. It is an engineering marvel with multiple layers of protection. It effectively sealed the damaged reactor, prevented radiation leakage, had a complex of monitoring instruments, etc., etc. Now, all this expensive, complex international work has gone down the drain,” Mirnyi said.
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