The steel shielding of the Chernobyl reactor, built after the 1986 disaster, no longer fulfils its key protective function," said the global Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The inspection carried out last week showed that the construction, commissioned in 2019, confirmed harm after the drone hit in February of that year. According to the Ukrainian authorities, a Russian conflict drone struck the shield, causing a fire. Russia denies it.
As the head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi stressed, although the carrier structure and monitoring systems were not breached, the shield lost its isolation capacity. insignificant repairs have already been done, but a major renovation is needed to prevent further degradation and keep the safety of the facility.
