Work to extinguish the fire at the Chernobyl sarcophagus was halted following a strike by a Russian drone.

The fire extinguishing efforts at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant have been halted, and no deterioration in the radiation situation on site has been recorded.

This was reported by the State Agency of Ukraine for the Management of the Exclusion Zone.

“As of 07:00, fire extinguishing operations have been suspended, but this does not indicate their completion. No open smoldering spots of the membrane have been observed, and monitoring of the situation is ongoing using drones equipped with thermal imaging,” the statement on Facebook reads.

It is noted that 6 personnel and 2 units of equipment from the State Emergency Service (SES) are involved. The air temperature is -15°C.

“No deterioration in the radiation situation at the NPP-OU site and overall at the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has been observed. No release of radioactive products beyond established limits has been detected,” the message states.

Recall that a Russian strike drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the shelter designed to protect against radiation from the destroyed 4th reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the State Agency for the Management of the Exclusion Zone recorded extensive damage to the shelter at Chernobyl covering an area of approximately 15 m².