Ukraine to receive $46 million for repairs to Chornobyl sarcophagus after Russian strike
Ukraine will receive €42.5 million ($45.7 million) from international partners to repair the protective arch over the Chornobyl nuclear plant's destroyed reactor, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced on June 26.
A Russian Shahed-type drone struck the New Safe Confinement over Chornobyl's destroyed 4th reactor on February 14.
The structure built to contain radioactive material was damaged, no serious radiation leaks were caused.
France pledged €10.6 million ($11.4 million), the United Kingdom committed €6.9 million ($7.4 million), and the European Commission contributed €25 million ($26.9 million) toward the repairs.
"This is further evidence that Ukraine does not face its challenges alone, but has reliable friends," Hrynchuk wrote on Facebook.
The funding was announced at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) headquarters in London during a meeting of the Chornobyl International Cooperation Account Assembly of Contributors – the governing body of the fund created to address Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant issues.
Ukraine has already surveyed the building's structure and completed preparatory work, Hrynchuk said. In March, €400,000 ($430,000) was allocated from the special fund for this purpose.
The assembly discussed plans for temporary repairs and further work to fully restore the arch's integrity and functionality.
Chornobyl was the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, contaminating areas across Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
After an protective structure was built over the destroyed reactor to contain radioactive material in the months following the disaster, the current arch, an international project built as a more permanent solution, was completed in 2017.
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