A strike could cause the “sarcophagus”—the structure shielding radiation at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant—to collapse, the plant’s director, Sergei Tarakanov, told AFP.

“If a missile or drone hits it directly, or even lands nearby—for example, an Iskander missile, God forbid—it would cause a small earthquake in the area,” Tarakanov said in an interview with AFP last week.

“Nobody can guarantee that the structure would remain standing after that. That’s the main threat,” he added.

The remains of the nuclear power plant are enclosed in a steel-and-concrete shell known as the “sarcophagus,” hastily built after the 1986 nuclear disaster. This is itself covered by a modern, high-tech outer structure known as the New Safe Confinement (NSC).

The NSC was severely damaged in a Russian drone attack in February, which triggered a major fire in the steel outer lining.

“The New Safe Confinement has lost several of its key functions, and we understand that it will take at least three to four years to restore them,” Tarakanov said. He added that radiation levels at the site remain “stable and within normal limits.”

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that an inspection mission found the enclosure had “lost its basic safety functions, including its ability to contain radioactive materials,” though it reported no permanent damage to the supporting structures or monitoring systems.

According to Tarakanov, the hole caused by the drone impact has been covered with protective mesh, but around 300 smaller holes drilled by firefighters to extinguish the blaze still need to be sealed.

Russian forces occupied the plant at the start of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine before withdrawing several weeks later.