World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
UK pledges £17m for repairs to Chornobyl nuclear plant shelter
The UK has pledged £17 million for repairs to the Chornobyl plant in Ukraine.
The work will restore parts of the protective shelter and ventilation system damaged in an attack last year.
The shelter covers the plant’s fourth power unit, which was destroyed in the 1986 nuclear disaster.
The UK says corrosion could weaken the structure and bring long-term environmental and safety risks if repairs are not made.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation levels remained normal and stable after the 2025 incident.
The UK announced the funding after a meeting between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The money is intended to help preserve the shelter’s protective functions and lifespan.
The UK will provide £17m for repairs to the protective shelter and ventilation system at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
The funding is intended to restore the structure’s confinement and ventilation functions and protect its lifespan.
The UK said corrosion without repairs could create longer-term environmental and safety risks.
The shelter was damaged in an attack last year, but the sources differ over the dollar value of the UK pledge.
- Who
- The UK government is providing the funding.
- What
- It pledged £17m for repairs to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant’s protective shelter and ventilation system.
- When
- The pledge was announced on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
- Where
- The Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
- Why
- The repairs are intended to restore the shelter’s functions and address corrosion risks that could threaten safety and the environment.
Ukraine and the UK
Russia
Attribution of the shelter damage
Ukraine and the UK
The Guardian describes the plant as hit by a Russian drone attack.
Russia
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Ukraine’s accusations that a Russian drone hit the plant and damaged the protective sarcophagus a fraud.
An explosion occurred at the plant, and IAEA staff were informed that a strike drone had crashed into the shelter of the fourth power unit.
The Guardian reported that Ukraine’s military had its access to Starlink technology throttled in key areas.
The UK announced £17m for repairs to the Chornobyl plant shelter and ventilation system.
- UK pledge
- £17m
- Dollar value
- $22.5m according to TASS; $23m according to the Guardian
- Repair targets
- Protective shelter and ventilation system
- Plant unit
- Fourth power unit
- IAEA incident date
- 14 February 2025
3 sources
What people are saying
The support will fund crucial repairs to restore the structure’s confinement and ventilation functions and protect its intended lifespan
behind you and that will not change
If you looked at it from their spectrum, we’re at war with Russia today, within the alliance, because they’re taking actions that are intended to undermine individual countries’ capability to support warfare, undermine their civilians’ confidence in their own government or within Nato, and to break Nato
The answer to that situation is to develop our own capabilities