No timeline for Chornobyl nuclear waste site restart after Russian strikes – IAEA
A Russian drone strike on the Central Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility near the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday morning caused significant structural damage to part of the fuel reception building, including the IAEA safeguards office located there, an IAEA expert team reported after inspecting the aftermath of the strike.
"It remains unclear when the facility will be able to start receiving spent fuel from Ukraine’s operating NPPs again," the IAEA said on social platform X late on Sunday.
The team of experts observed damage to the building’s facade, walls and staircase, with shattered glass shards, broken bricks and other debris seen scattered on the ground. They confirmed that radiation levels at the facility remained normal, indicating that the incident did not cause any radioactive contamination.
They were also informed that spent fuel was stored in casks a few hundred meters from the damaged building at the time of the attack, while other closer ones had been empty.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said it was an extremely concerning incident and a close call in terms of nuclear safety.
"Attacking a facility with large amounts of nuclear material is like playing with fire and it must never happen," Grossi said, adding that the IAEA will continue to investigate the incident.