Chernobyl - protective roof could collapse

could collapse following a Russian strike earlier this year, plant director

Serhii Tarakanov told AFP in an interview published Dec. 23. “No one can

guarantee that the shelter facility will remain standing after that. That

is the main threat,” Tarakanov warned. The fourth reactor at the Chornobyl

Nuclear Power Plant had a meltdown in April 1986, prompting the site’s

confinement and closure. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said

on Dec. 5 that the protective shield built to prevent radiation leaking

needs to be repaired promptly after a Russian drone strike earlier this

year damaged the steel structure, leaving a large hole and many smaller

ones following a fire. It could take three to four years for the

containment structure to be fully restored, Tarakanov said, adding that if

another strike hits the site before repairs are completed, an inner

containment shell could collapse.

Kyiv Independent 24th Dec 2025

https://kyivindependent.com/chornobyl-protective-structure-could-collapse-following-russian-strikes-plant-director-warns/

Daily Mail 23rd Dec 2025