Chernobyl drone attack: Fires contained, no radiation threat
Rescuers from Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS) are addressing the aftermath of drone attacks on the Chernobyl power plant. Three small fires on the roof of the sarcophagus over the reactor destroyed in 1986 are being extinguished, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv reported on Monday. Radiation levels at the plant site do not exceed permissible values, the statement added.
Rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) are working intensively to mitigate the effects of the Russian drone attack on the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. Three small fires broke out on the roof of the sarcophagus over the reactor that was destroyed in 1986.
Situation under control
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported that three groups of climbers partially opened the shelter's structures and are extinguishing the insulation material fires on the roof. The situation and air quality are being monitored using drones with thermal imaging cameras. The ministry assures that radiation levels at the plant do not exceed permissible values.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a Russian attack drone hit the sarcophagus over the reactor during the night of February 13 to 14. The new sarcophagus, which was commissioned in 2019, cost 1.5 billion euros (approximately 1.6 billion US dollars) and was co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when the explosion of the fourth reactor resulted in the contamination of parts of Ukraine and Belarus. Radioactive substances also reached Scandinavia, Central Europe, and southern Europe.
The work on the new sarcophagus was completed in 2016, involving 10,000 workers from over 30 countries. Currently, the situation in Chernobyl is under control, and the efforts of the rescuers aim to ensure safety and minimize the effects of the attack.
