The British government will provide £17 million to fund repairs at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine, damaged by a Russian drone strike last year, officials announced on Thursday.
The funding will restore the plant’s protective shelter and ventilation systems, which were compromised in the attack, raising concerns about long-term corrosion and environmental hazards. Chancellor John Healey stated the government’s commitment to Ukraine was “unshakeable,” while Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband declared Britain would “stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and will do so until they prevail.”
The pledge follows a meeting on Wednesday between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street, where Burnham assured Zelenskyy of Britain’s enduring support. The UK contribution is part of a broader international effort coordinated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, alongside the Ukrainian government and G7 donors.
Ukraine and Britain attribute the drone strike that damaged the plant’s protective shield to Russia, though Moscow has denied targeting nuclear infrastructure. The Chornobyl site, the scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, remains a critical environmental concern.
