Britain Pledges £17 Million to Repair Chornobyl Shelter Hit by Russian Drone

Developing story. Updated 05:19 UTC, Oct 15.

Britain will provide 17 million pounds, about 22.45 million dollars, to repair the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine, the British government announced on Thursday, Oct 15. Chancellor John Healey and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the funding.

The money will pay for repairs to the protective shelter over the plant. A Russian drone strike last year damaged the shelter. The plant is the site of the world's worst atomic accident, in 1986.

Britain's support will form part of an international programme coordinated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, working alongside the Government of Ukraine and G7 donors.

Why the repairs cannot wait

The repairs will restore the shelter's confinement and ventilation functions and protect its intended lifespan, the government said. Without the work, corrosion risks undermining decades of international investment and creating longer term environmental and safety risks.

Healey said Britain's commitment to the Ukrainian people was "unshakeable" and that London was backing the reconstruction of a country damaged by Russian attacks. Miliband said Britain would "stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine" and work with allies to strengthen its security and raise the cost of Russia's aggression.

The pledge follows the Zelenskyy visit

On Wednesday, Oct 14, the Prime Minister welcomed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street and called on allies to increase pressure on Russia's war machine.

Last week the Foreign Secretary visited Kyiv for the first time since taking office. He announced 54 million pounds of winter support funding there, including 20 million pounds in energy support.

The British government said the UK has provided almost 25 billion pounds in total support to Ukraine, including over 770 million pounds in energy funding. It said Britain has sanctioned over 3,500 individuals, entities and ships under its Russia sanctions regime.

Energy network under renewed attack

The announcement came as Russia keeps striking Ukraine's power system. Between Oct 5 and Oct 11, Russia carried out more than 200 strikes on electricity infrastructure and a further 17 strikes on oil and gas facilities, the British government said. That count includes 6 energy attacks since President Trump announced a ceasefire on Sunday.

On Oct 13, Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles at Ukraine in one of its largest attacks of that kind. Much of the attack was aimed at energy infrastructure. The strikes left 600,000 civilians without power.

A long record at Chornobyl

Britain has backed nuclear safety at Chornobyl for years. The UK was a founding donor to the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account in 2020, when that account took over responsibility for safety at the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. British donations to the account total 8 million euros, making the UK its third largest individual donor, behind Norway and France. The new funding builds on that record, the government said.