Chernobyl Shield Loses Confinement After Drone Strike, IAEA Says

• Chernobyl's New Safe Confinement (NSC) shield lost its ability to contain radioactive material after a drone strike, according to the IAEA.
• The IAEA reported the NSC was "severely damaged" in a February attack, losing primary safety functions.
• Ukraine attributes the February 14 incident to Russian forces, a claim Russia denies.
• The strike caused a blaze and damaged exterior panels of the NSC, prompting the IAEA to call for extensive repairs.
• The NSC, completed in 2019, is a large arch covering the damaged No. 4 reactor, designed to function for a century.

Why It Matters: Damaged Chernobyl shield now risks radioactive material release.