An uncontrolled collapse of the inner radiation shield at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine could increase the risk of radioactive material being released into the environment, Greenpeace warned on Tuesday.
In 1986, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded, sending radioactive clouds across much of Europe and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee the area.
The remains of the plant are covered by two protective layers: an inner radiation shield made of steel and concrete – the hastily built “sarcophagus” constructed after the disaster – and a modern, high-tech outer structure known as the New Safe Confinement (NSC).
Kyiv has accused Russia of repeatedly targeting the site since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, including an attack last year that pierced the outer shell.
Risk of new catastrophy
In a report released on Tuesday, just days ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Greenpeace warned that despite some repair work, the containment function of the NSC “could not be fully restored”.
“This increases the risk of radioactive releases into the environment, especially in the event of a collapse” of the inner shelter, Greenpeace said.
“That would be catastrophic because… there are four tonnes of dust, highly radioactive dust, fuel pellets and enormous quantities of radioactivity inside the sarcophagus,” Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, told AFP earlier this month.
“And because the New Safe Confinement cannot currently be repaired and cannot operate as designed, there is a risk of radioactive release,” Burnie added.
Greenpeace said dismantling unstable elements of the inner structure is essential to prevent an uncontrolled collapse. However, the ongoing war has hampered any such work at the site.
“There are missiles from Russia that are still flying over Chernobyl,” Burnie said.
“Forty years on, Russia is still effectively waging a nuclear war against the people of Ukraine and Europe,” he added.
External shock could collapse inner shield
Plant director Serhiy Tarakanov described the situation around the site as “very dangerous”.
“If a missile hits not directly on the shelter, but even just 200 metres away, it would create an external shock similar to an earthquake,” he said, increasing the risk that the inner shield could collapse.
“And what the 1986 accident really showed us,” Tarakanov added, “is that radioactive particles recognise no borders.”
Last month, France said the protective dome at Chernobyl would require repairs costing nearly €500 million following a Russian strike in 2025.
Sources: CNA, AFP