Zelenskyy and IAEA head visit Chornobyl Museum, Ukraine's interior minister reports on Chornobyl confinement structure

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi have attended the opening of a new permanent exhibition at the National Chornobyl Museum. Zelenskyy also received a report from Ukraine's interior minister on efforts to deal with the consequences of a Russian strike on the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) confinement structure.

Source: Zelenskyy's official website

Details: Marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, Zelenskyy and Grossi attended the opening of the museum's new permanent exhibition, Chornobyl: People and Meanings.

During the opening, Zelenskyy heard a report from Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko on the work underway to address the consequences of the Russian strike on the Chornobyl NPP confinement structure.

Klymenko outlined the work already carried out following the Russian strike on the confinement structure on 14 February 2025. He also spoke about the next steps that need to be taken and stressed the importance of support from Ukraine's international partners.

Zelenskyy and Grossi discussed the efforts and resources required for the confinement structure to be fully repaired.

Update: Later, Zelenskyy said that during his meeting with Grossi he had stressed the inadmissibility of formalising or legitimising Russia's presence at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

"We discussed the temporary disconnections of NPP units from the power supply, reductions in their output and the possible consequences of these criminal actions. To ensure the safe operation of the plant, it must be returned to the management of Ukraine's licensed operator and nuclear regulator. We agreed to continue IAEA missions to ensure constant monitoring of the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP," he added.

Background:

• On the night of 13-14 February 2025, Russia conducted a targeted drone strike on the New Safe Confinement arch at the Chornobyl NPP. The attack damaged both the outer and inner shells of the structure, as well as the equipment of the main crane system.
• Early estimates suggested that it will cost more than €500 million to fully restore the confinement structure's functionality.

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