No radioactive substances leak at Chornobyl NPP, but repeated strikes may change situation – state agency head

Hryhorii Ishchenko, the head of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, said this on Ukrainian television, Ukrinform reports.

“The radiation situation is currently stable, so there can be no leaks. However, if there are repeated strikes on such facilities, the situation may change,” Ishchenko said.

He emphasized that the radiation background at the Chornobyl NPP site, including the NSC Shelter, has not changed since the beginning of the fire, during its extinguishing and up to now.

“That is, no release of radioactive substances exceeding the established limits has been detected. There have been no cases of personnel exposure exceeding the controlled levels, and the parameters of the radiation situation are within the controlled levels,” Ishchenko emphasized.

He announced that a meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 18, with the participation of several research institutes to assess the damage to the NSC and submit a report to the state leadership.

“On February 14, Chornobyl NPP employees conducted a preliminary survey and found damaged structures caused by a direct UAV strike. The impact was significant, affecting the primary and load-bearing components of the building structures,” said Ishchenko.

As Ukrinform reported, on the evening of February 14, the fire caused by the Russian drone strike in the outer cladding of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch at the Chornobyl NPP was extinguished.