Chernobyl’s director warns a direct Russian missile hit could collapse the site’s inner radiation shelter, with repairs to the damaged outer shell taking up to four years.
KYIV: A Russian strike could collapse the internal radiation shelter at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station, the plant’s director has warned.
In an interview with AFP, director Sergiy Tarakanov said a direct missile hit could cause a “mini-earthquake” that threatens the structure’s integrity.
He warned that fully restoring the damaged outer shell, known as the New Safe Confinement (NSC), could take three to four years.
The NSC’s roof was severely damaged in a Russian drone strike in February, which caused a major fire in its outer cladding.
“Our NSC has lost several of its main functions,” Tarakanov stated.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the shelter had “lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability” after an inspection this month.
However, the agency found no permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems.
Tarakanov told AFP that radiation levels at the site remained “stable and within normal limits”.
A hole caused by the drone strike has been covered with a protective screen, but 300 smaller holes made by firefighters still need repair.
Russia’s army captured the plant at the start of its 2022 invasion before withdrawing a few weeks later.
Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russia of targeting the facility, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.
