To study damage to Chornobyl NPP shelter, EUR 400,000 will be allocated from international account - Environmental Ministry

To study the damage to the shelter at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, EUR 400,000 will be allocated from the international cooperation account for Chornobyl.

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Svitlana Hrynchuk announced this on Facebook, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"EUR 400,000 for the study of the damage to the NSC Arch (New Safe Confinement) from the administrative budget of the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl. This decision was made during an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly of the account jointly by the EBRD, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and the State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management. This is the first step on the path of our cooperation with partners to restore the NSC Arch to normal operation after the russian attack on February 14," she said.

The funds will be used for an expert assessment of the consequences of the russian UAV hitting the protective shell of the Arch.

"Today, the main thing is to conduct a qualitative analysis and unite our donors for further development. Restoring the confinement is a huge challenge. It is likely that eliminating the consequences of russian aggression will require more funds than are currently available in the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl," she noted.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on the night of February 14, a russian strike drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the shelter covering the destroyed power unit No. 4 at the Chornobyl NPP. As a result of the russian drone's strike on the New Safe Confinement above the destroyed power unit of the Chornobyl NPP, the integrity of the outer shell of the NSC and equipment in the crane maintenance garage were damaged.

On February 18, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated UAH 1.5 billion to support the safe operation of the shelter at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, with funding increased by 139 million compared to 2024.