Damaged Arch of Chernobyl: Why There Is No Current Threat of Radiation Leakage.

According to ТСН: Currently, there is no threat of radiation leakage at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

This information was shared in a broadcast by KYIV24 by a member of the Public Council at the State Agency for Managing the Exclusion Zone, Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, commenting on the situation at the Chernobyl NPP after the attacks by the Russian Federation.

"Indeed, at the beginning of this year, a drone struck a hole in the new safe confinement, a fire started, and the tightness of this new confinement, built in recent years, has been compromised. The tightness is now the worst part; the Russians have delayed and postponed the measures that were planned for eliminating the consequences of the accident from 1986. But what does this practically mean for people? The fact is that this new safe confinement, which was built and is supposed to protect from the sarcophagus under which the remains of the fourth reactor are, is damaged," he noted.

However, the sarcophagus, built in 1986, has not been damaged, according to Yemelyanenko. It continues to stand in place. However, it is worth noting that the sarcophagus is an emergency structure since it was constructed without consideration of the service life of 40, 50, or 60 years. That is why the new safe confinement was put into operation, which is now damaged.

"So, Russia, as you can see, forces everyone around to degrade so that they match their Russia as much as possible. We had this, we have this confinement; it is the most modern, technologically advanced, and the largest building in the world designed to store this reactor wreckage, and under which the old sarcophagus was to be dismantled. However, the dismantling work has not yet been carried out, so in principle, there is currently no danger of radiation leakage," explained the expert.

What Preceded

Recently, the IAEA published a report stating that the protective arch over the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl NPP no longer performs its main functions. The new sarcophagus was damaged as a result of the Russian strike in February of this year.

On October 1, Chernobyl NPP found itself in a blackout due to the Russian shelling of Slavutych. This caused critical voltage fluctuations in the power grid, resulting in the new safe confinement — an important facility known as the "Arch"— being without electricity, which isolates the destroyed fourth power unit of Chernobyl.

Recall that on February 14, 2025, the Russian army struck the sarcophagus of the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chernobyl NPP, as a result of which the shelter was virtually breached. However, after the attack, the radiation background remained within normal limits.

Considering the situation, it is important to note that the threat of radiation leakage has remained under control, despite the damage to the new structure. Specialists continue to monitor the safety status at the Chernobyl NPP and plan to take necessary measures to ensure protection against any potential threats in the future.