Experts Warn of Chernobyl Collapse Risk

Experts warn that an uncontrolled collapse of the protective structures at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant could release highly radioactive dust into the environment, posing risks that extend beyond national borders. The alert from Greenpeace, issued on April 14, comes days before the 40th anniversary of the 1986 disaster, the worst nuclear accident in history, which occurred at the plant in northern Ukraine.

On April 26, 1986, while Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, an explosion and fire at Reactor 4 released massive amounts of radioactive material across Europe, killing dozens immediately and contributing to thousands of long-term deaths from radiation exposure. Tens of thousands were evacuated from the surrounding area, creating a 30-kilometer exclusion zone that remains largely uninhabited. In the aftermath, workers hastily constructed an inner steel-and-concrete shelter, known as the sarcophagus, around the ruined reactor to contain leaks. In 2016, a more advanced outer structure, the New Safe Confinement (NSC), was installed at a cost of 1.5 billion euros to bolster protection and enable safer decommissioning.

The current concerns stem from damage inflicted...