{"id":169502,"date":"2025-12-24T11:35:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T08:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169502\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"chernobyl-containment-at-risk-from-missile-drone-strikes-plant-executive","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169502\/","title":{"rendered":"Chernobyl containment at risk from missile, drone strikes \u2013 plant executive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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December 24, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>A direct hit by a missile or combat drone on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant\u2019s containment structure or an impact nearby could trigger a mini-earthquake, plant director Sergiy Tarakanov told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missile system, designed to destroy bunkers, poses the main threat, as no one can guarantee the shelter facility would withstand an attack, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chernobyl’s New Safe Confinement (NSC) sustained serious damage after a Russian drone strike in February, which caused a major fire, the official noted.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our NSC has lost several of its main functions. And we understand that it will take us at least three or four years to restore these functions,” Tarakanov added. However, radiation levels remain “stable and within normal limits,” he assured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on international cooperation and coordination of efforts to address the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resolution highlighted long-term serious consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and the needs of the affected communities and territories, noting serious concerns over the NSC damage. The drone strike jeopardized decades of international progress in ensuring the safety of the facility, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A catastrophic explosion at Chernobyl in 1986 sent a plume of radioactive material into the air, triggering a public health emergency across Europe. While the immediate disaster was mitigated and an exclusion zone was established, the incident saw a rise in cancer rates in the surrounding population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSC was designed to prevent further radioactive material from leaking out over the next century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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