France pledges €10 million to repair Chornobyl shelter after Russian drone strike

The agreement was signed by Pierre Heilbronn, the French President’s special envoy for economic assistance and reconstruction of Ukraine, and Mark Bowman, Vice President for Policy and Partnerships at the EBRD, during the 34th Annual Meeting and Business Forum of the EBRD in London, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance.

“Your contribution is crucial for ensuring nuclear safety not only in Ukraine, but globally. This is more than just technical support — it’s an investment in global stability. We deeply value our bilateral cooperation with France, a partner that has stood by Ukraine in the most difficult times,” said Ukraine’s Deputy Finance Minister, Olha Zykova.

She emphasized the need to shift from a reactive model of response to a long-term, systematic approach to Chornobyl’s safety.

“Each new missile strike, each drone attack, causes further damage that requires urgent intervention, additional resources, and time. This reactive approach offers no guarantees for the future. In wartime, it’s simply not sustainable. The latest attacks on Chornobyl — including the strike on the sarcophagus — show that international nuclear security can no longer rely on engineering solutions alone. A new level of protection is needed. We must shift from response to prevention and resilience,” Zykova said.

She highlighted the need for investment in infrastructure modernization, physical security, air defense, and rapid response systems.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that on the night of February 14, a Russian strike drone with a fragmentation warhead hit the shelter of the destroyed 4th reactor unit at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.