Greenpeace Ukraine – briefing
14 February 2025
Shaun Burnie and Jan Vande Putte
The explosive strike and penetration of the Chornobyl New Confinement Shelter (NSC) is a serious escalation by the Russian military. The Chornobyl NSC is designed to contain radioactive material – particles and aerosol gases which exist due to the destruction of reactor unit 4. The NSC is designed for a lifespan of 100 years.
Key details on the NSC:
– The NSC has special ventilation systems to maintain humidity no more than 40%;
– The NSC is not hermetically sealed and therefore, in order to reduce the release of radioactive aerosols (RA) into the outside environment (OS), the ventilation system must constantly maintain a pressure of 5-8 Pa less than the external one;
– Leak-tightness functions are performed by the Annular Space – a gap between the internal and external claddings where the ventilation system maintains permanent overpressure relative to the Main Volume effectively preventing egress of radioactive substances into the environment;
– Elastic membrane that connects the Arch structure with the Object Shelter existing structures ensuring on one hand the leak-tightness and on the other – minimization of impacts from the Arch to the existing structures of the outside environment.
Greenpeace comment:
‘The evidence points to a deliberate attack by the Russian military. Our analysts at Mckenzie Intelligence in their latest assessment conclude that with the coordinates for the Russian Shahid drone preset and with a relative degree of accuracy of 10-15 meters this would suggest a deliberate attack against the Chornobyl plant. The Russian targeting of Ukraine’s nuclear plants is not new – Chornobyl on the first day of the full scale invasion in 2022, and the attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and the on-going attack on the electric grid – but this is a further escalation of Russian war crimes against Ukraine – for which they must be prosecuted. So far Russian attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear plants have not led to any serious sanctions against their nuclear industry. It’s time to increase sanctions and pressure against the Russian government,” Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist, Greenpeace Ukraine.
