The smoldering elimination continues: the State Emergency Service reported the situation at Chernobyl as of the morning of February 24.
Rescue teams are continuing to address the aftermath of a Russian drone strike on the sarcophagus at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. A partial opening of the structure is currently taking place.
This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine with a link to the press service of the State Emergency Service.
"As of February 24, mountaineer rescuers from the State Emergency Service are conducting a partial opening of the structure and eliminating smoldering hotspots," the message states.
Additionally, thermal imaging drones are being used for continuous aerial monitoring, along with manual thermal imaging devices for further monitoring.
Currently, the radiation background at the Chernobyl site remains unchanged. No release of radioactive substances beyond established limits has been recorded - there is no threat to the population.
Drone Attack on Chernobyl
It is worth noting that on the night of Friday, February 14, the Russian army launched another drone strike on Ukrainian territory. The sarcophagus at Chernobyl was targeted, where a drone equipped with a high-explosive warhead struck. The drone went undetected by radar due to its low flight altitude - up to 85 meters.
According to the State Agency of Ukraine for the Management of the Exclusion Zone, the consequences of the attack could have been catastrophic if the drone had struck just 15 meters away from the impact site.
Earlier reports indicated that fire extinguishing operations at Chernobyl had been suspended. Monitoring of the situation continues using a drone.
However, on February 17, new smoldering hotspots were discovered on the Chernobyl sarcophagus, which were subsequently localized.
Recently, the government allocated over 1.5 billion hryvnias to support the safe condition of the damaged Chernobyl shelter.
For more information on the attack on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and its consequences, refer to the RBK-Ukraine article.