The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has warned that Chernobyl's giant protective structure needs £416 million in emergency repairs after being damaged by a Russian drone strike, saying funding is needed to avoid an environmental disaster.
The bank said it faces a shortfall of €500 million to fix the steel arch built to contain what remains of Reactor 4, which was damaged in the attack in February last year. The protective shell allows the safe management of radioactive material from the reactor, which exploded in 1986.
Global nuclear safety concern
Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the EBRD, said the problem is not just Ukraine's, where the reactor is located. She told Politico: "Everybody should feel concerned about nuclear safety globally."
Ms Renaud-Basso told the same publication that while there is no immediate danger from Chernobyl, the repairs need to be made before the end of the decade. Failure to repair the damage would mean moisture would cause what lies beneath the protective arch to corrode, making it harder to deal with the radioactive material.
Drone strike details
The EBRD is not expecting Russia to help pay the repair bill despite being responsible for the damage. Moscow claimed Kyiv staged the attack, while Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for the drone strike at 1.59am on February 14, 2025. It hit the outer layer of the structure, known as the New Safe Confinement.
The arch-like shell was completed in 2019 at a cost of £1.64bn ($2.1bn). It was built to enclose the original concrete "sarcophagus" to keep the damaged Reactor 4 and its deadly debris from leaking radiation.
Lifespan and risks
There was no rise in radiation levels outside the structure and nobody was injured in the strike. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the damage could significantly shorten the arch's 100-year lifespan.
Without repairs, the structure would gradually weaken, increasing the risk of radiation exposure to Ukraine and other countries.
