Ukraine has signed an agreement with international partners to open a special account for restoring the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on 26 April, Ukrinform reports.
The NSC was damaged in February 2025, when a Russian drone struck the protective shelter above the destroyed fourth reactor at Chornobyl.
Speaking at an international Chornobyl conference on recovery and nuclear safety on the anniversary of the 1986 disaster at the site, Shmyhal said the mechanism will help finance repairs to the structure that protects the destroyed reactor unit.
“A deal was signed today to open a restoration account for the New Safe Confinement and for the first tranche,” he said.
€500M needed for full restoration
Shmyhal said Ukraine and its partners aim to raise more than €500 million in total for the project, with around €100 million already secured through existing commitments.
The special account is intended to coordinate international funding and accelerate the recovery of the containment structure, which is central to nuclear safety at the site.
Earlier donor meetings had already approved the redirection of €30 million toward engineering work and equipment procurement for restoration efforts, according to Ukrinform.
Structure damaged in 2025 drone strike
Following the strike, Ukraine allocated 1.6 billion hryvnias from its state budget to respond to the damage and begin mitigation work.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the structure lost key safety functions after the attack, although its main framework and monitoring systems were not permanently destroyed.
Long-term nuclear safety focus
The new funding mechanism is expected to support both immediate repair needs and longer-term reinforcement of nuclear safety infrastructure at the site.
Chornobyl remains a focal point for international concern after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the 1986 disaster site now also affected by wartime damage nearly four decades later.
