A fire continues at Chernobyl after a strike on the shelter: is there a radiation threat?
A fire is ongoing at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant following a strike on the shelter of the destroyed fourth reactor unit. As of the morning of February 15, no radiation threat has been recorded.
This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the State Agency of Ukraine for Management of the Exclusion Zone on Facebook.
It is noted that efforts to extinguish the fire in the external cladding filler of the new safe confinement continue. From 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM, five State Emergency Service (SES) workers and two units of equipment were involved. As of 7:00 AM, 40 SES workers and eight units of equipment have been deployed.
The technical condition of the new confinement is as follows:
- cladding defects without complete destruction covering up to 200 square meters;
- damage to the internal filler of the cladding;
- existing damage to bolt connections;
- deformed connection nodes in the upper part of the confinement structure.
The radiation status in the exclusion zone is monitored at 39 points of the automated control system. As of 8:30 AM, no exceedances of the ambient dose equivalent rate (ADEER) and gamma radiation have been recorded.
Strike on the Chernobyl Shelter
On Friday, February 14, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky reported a strike on the shelter of the fourth reactor unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. As a result of the attack, the new safe confinement was damaged, and a fire broke out.
According to the head of state, it was a drone carrying an explosive warhead. Debris from the body of a Russian drone with a warhead and a serial number was found inside and near the shelter.
After the attack, specialists did not record an increase in the radiation background. However, the Ministry of Energy acknowledged that in the case of serious damage, there is a risk of a significant increase in radiation levels.
For more details about the attack on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and its consequences, see the material from RBK-Ukraine.