Chernobyl Disaster: Greenpeace warns of collapse risk after drone damage
Greenpeace Ukraine says the chernobyl disaster remains an active threat, not a closed chapter, after damage to the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement from a Russian drone attack last year. The warning came in Kyiv on 14 April 2026, ahead of the 40th anniversary of the chernobyl disaster. Greenpeace says urgent repairs are now needed to reduce the risk of collapse involving the Sarcophagus inside the structure.
Damage inside the New Safe Confinement
The report says the destruction was caused by a Russian drone attack last year and that the ruins of reactor 4 and the Sarcophagus are contained inside the New Safe Confinement. It says the Sarcophagus must be dismantled as soon as possible, but the damage to the containment structure means that cannot happen yet. Without urgent repairs, the report finds, the Sarcophagus faces an increased risk of collapse.
The report was written by engineer Eric Schmieman, who worked at Chornobyl for many years to help design and construct the New Safe Confinement. Greenpeace Ukraine says the report will be submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine as independent evidence of Russian war crimes.
Greenpeace and plant officials raise the alarm
At a joint briefing on 9 April, a Greenpeace investigating team met with the Director of the Chornobyl plant to discuss the risks to the New Safe Confinement and plans for restoration. Director Serhii Tarakanov described the severe risks to the plant resulting from Russia’s attack, including the potential collapse of the Sarcophagus.
Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, said the danger is being felt long after the 1986 disaster. “In April 1986, Ukraine and the world suffered the worst nuclear disaster in history. Today, decades later, the radioactive hazards at Chornobyl remain – with all efforts being made to contain and manage its toxic legacy, ” Burnie said. He added that the Russian drone strike has increased the risk that the Sarcophagus will collapse before it can be carefully dismantled.
Burnie said Greenpeace has a “simple and clear message”: the attack on Chornobyl must be punished, including maximum sanctions against Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear agency.
Why the Chornobyl Disaster still matters
The Greenpeace report says Ukraine and its international donor nations have agreed on a four-year timetable to fully investigate and carry out repairs at the New Safe Confinement. But the plant remains under constant threat from Russian missile activity, keeping the issue urgent and unresolved.
The chernobyl disaster is therefore not only a historical milestone marked by an approaching anniversary. It is also a live safety and accountability test, with the New Safe Confinement now at the center of that risk.
What happens next
With the report headed to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General and repair work still pending, the next steps will focus on evidence, restoration planning, and international pressure. Greenpeace says the central question is whether the New Safe Confinement can be stabilized fast enough to prevent further danger to the Sarcophagus and the broader site. For now, the warning remains stark: the chernobyl disaster is still producing consequences that cannot be ignored.
