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submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Attack damaged €1.5bn containment structure over nuclear reactor with repair costs likely to be borne by western governments

A Russian Shahed drone costing up to £75,000 is estimated to have inflicted tens of millions worth of damage to the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, according to initial assessments and engineering experts.

The cost of a full fix is likely to be borne by western governments including the UK, because initial estimates are that a complete repair will cost more than the €25m available in a special international contingency fund.

The strike in mid February did not cause an immediate radiological risk, but it significantly damaged the €1.5bn containment structure built in 2017 to encase the destroyed reactor and is likely to take months if not years to completely repair.

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[-] x00z@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago

For anybody out of the loop:

  • The hole makes it hard to maintain the lower artificial pressure inside
  • The waterproof isolation has been burning and hundreds of holes have been made to put out the fires

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW4BEqDS_wM

[-] Wahots@pawb.social 11 points 6 days ago

Fucking idiot Russians. Incredible lack of military discipline, and sloppy leadership. I bet some idiot 22 year old who has never heard of the disaster flew it into the structure while the commander was fucking off somewhere else.

[-] bfg9k@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

We spent decades cleaning up this mess and finally had a viable medium-term solution, and they go and fucking burn it up. This war is fucking insane.

[-] Aeri@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

"Chernobyl, what do we need to worry about at- OH SHIT"

[-] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

Uuuhhhhhhhh……

[-] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 102 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Assuming that a bigger attack could spread radioactive material in the atmosphere, things like this should be considered as an attack on bordering countries too and EU nations should act accordingly.

[-] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 72 points 1 week ago

Western Governments should pay for the repairs, using Russia’s seized assets.

[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The attack – quickly concluded to be caused by a drone flying below at a level where it could not be detected by radar – punctured a 15-sq-metre hole in the outer roof. It also caused a particularly damaging, complex smouldering fire to the inner cladding of the structure that took over a fortnight to put out.

~~When you know that the little hole is 15 metres across,~~ I'm an idiot, but it gives a sense of how huge that structure is.

[-] JustinTheGM@ttrpg.network 27 points 1 week ago

15 square meters isn't the same as 15m×15m, it'd be a little smaller than 4m×4m. Still a big hole.

[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 week ago

Ah yes, I misread. Thanks for the correction.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago
[-] Chef@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 week ago

“If I can’t have it, no one can.”

[-] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

'Member when they bivied in chernobyl and dug trenches into the irradiated ground?

[-] Jumuta@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

they love it so much they've attacked 2

[-] HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

That's about what someone wound have to pay me to go fix it

Materials and tools excluded

[-] RedIce25@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Russia is going to pay it all when they lose this pointless war

this post was submitted on 07 May 2025
303 points (100.0% liked)

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