As Ukraine prepares to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a new report from Greenpeace warns that failure to fully repair the protective shell around the crippled nuclear plant could lead to a “catastrophic” release of radioactive dust. A Russian drone punctured a hole in the external shield in 2025. Strikes near the site cause vibrations that could lead to a catastrophic collapse of an internal shell, the sarcophagus, that covers nuclear debris.
