Ukraine is working with international experts to repair critical damage to the protective structure at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site, following a Russian drone strike earlier this year, Environment Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced on Saturday.
Speaking from the grounds of the decommissioned plant during the opening of a new 0.8-megawatt solar facility, Hrynchuk said restoring the integrity of the massive containment arch—constructed to encase the aging "sarcophagus" built after the 1986 catastrophe—is now a top priority.
"Unfortunately, the February 14 drone attack compromised the structure’s functionality," she said. "By May, we expect to have results from the technical analysis now underway to chart our next steps."
The assessment involves collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, scientific institutions, and engineering firms that originally constructed the massive steel structure in 2019 to replace the deteriorating concrete shield hastily erected after the explosion of Reactor 4.
Plant officials reported that the drone strike tore a sizable hole in the outer shell of the containment arch and detonated inside. Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed the incident as a "provocation," but Ukraine insists it poses serious safety risks.
"Our goal is clear—restore the integrity of the arch and ensure there’s zero risk of radioactive leakage," Hrynchuk said. "Nuclear and radiation safety remain our absolute priorities."
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a 30-kilometer radius marked by abandoned buildings and overgrown remnants of a once-thriving community, has been largely uninhabited since the disaster. Now, Ukraine is turning its attention to revitalization through green energy.
The newly unveiled solar power plant, Hrynchuk noted, is part of a larger vision to reinvent the exclusion zone as a hub for renewable energy.
"For years, we've spoken of transforming this area into a zone of renewal," she said. "No other region in Ukraine is better suited for bold, sustainable energy initiatives than this one."