Emergency workers in Ukraine continue efforts to address damage to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant sarcophagus following a Russian strike. According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, three crews are currently working to partially dismantle affected structures and extinguish three smoldering hotspots in the roof insulation.
Cleanup of consequences of Russian UAV strike on Chornobyl NPP continues
Work is underway on dismantling parts of the roof and extinguishing 2 smoldering spots in the roof insulation. Three groups of State Emergency Service climbers are working.
???? Emergency service pic.twitter.com/v3fkL9e5Ci— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 18, 2025
The sarcophagus, damaged during an attack on 14 February 2025, was built over the fourth reactor unit destroyed in the 1986 disaster. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the strike was carried out by a drone carrying a high-explosive warhead.
Though Zelenskyy initially reported that the fire had been extinguished immediately after the attack, the State Emergency Service announced on 17 February that specialized climbing teams are still working to access parts of the protective structure and extinguish ongoing smoldering in the roofing materials.
Specialists are continuously monitoring the situation using drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras and are checking air quality. Officials report that radiation levels at the Chornobyl industrial site remain within acceptable limits.
The Chornobyl disaster occurred on 26 April 1986, when a reactor explosion completely destroyed the facility’s fourth unit, causing severe contamination. The accident resulted in the complete evacuation of Pripyat, Chornobyl, and all settlements within a 30-kilometer zone.
Following the disaster, the original “Shelter” structure was hastily constructed over the destroyed fourth reactor. Years later, a new sarcophagus was built to contain it.
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