A fire in the outer cladding of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, caused by a Russian drone strike, has been localized.
This was reported on Facebook by Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Svitlana Hrynchuk.
“At 21:30, the fire in the filler of the NSC Arch’s outer cladding was localized,” she stated.
The Minister informed that radiation levels in the exclusion zone remain normal and are monitored continuously by an automated system at 39 points. Data is transmitted to the dispatch center every hour, and in emergencies, every minute.
“The control levels of the ambient dose equivalent rate have not been exceeded. The radiation situation is under control,” Hrynchuk emphasized.
On the night of February 14, a Russian attack drone struck the shelter over the destroyed fourth reactor of the Chornobyl NPP.
This was also reported on the IAEA website.
"The IAEA team based at the site – who heard the explosion at 01:50am local time followed by smoke and associated fire visible from their dormitory rooms – were informed by Ukraine that a drone had struck the New Safe Confinement (NSC), a large structure built to prevent any radioactive release from the damaged reactor unit 4 and to protect it from any external hazard," the statement reads.
The IAEA team could see a breach of the outer layer of the NSC that occurred following the detonation. Supplementary information from Ukraine’s regulatory body received this morning confirmed that the outer cladding of the NSC arch sustained damage, and investigations are ongoing to determine the status of the inner cladding.
"Radiation levels inside and outside the NSC building remain normal and stable, the IAEA team was informed. There were no reports of casualties," the statement says.
The Security Service of Ukrainediscovered fragments of a Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-type) kamikaze drone inside and near the protective structure. According to experts, the attack on the plant was deliberate.
