Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Decommissioned nuclear plant in northern Ukraine, site of the 1986 disaster. See Ukraine.

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
The 10 Biggest Construction Fails of 2025	The B1M	subject	A drone strike punches a hole in the shelter over reactor 4.
Not the End of the World	Hannah Ritchie	subject	The text says Chernobyl likely caused up to 400 deaths, far fewer than most people guess, and blames old reactor design and Soviet secrecy.

The attack blasted a 6 m wide hole in the hermetically sealed shelter covering the infamous reactor 4.

Role: subject
In the video: A drone hit the shelter at 2 a.m. on 14 February, blasting a 6 m hole and setting the cladding alight; the fire took weeks to put out. The B1M reports no immediate danger but doubts the shield can be fully repaired.
Why it matters: The segment is about damage to one of the world’s most important containment structures.

Source: Not the End of the World · Readwise highlight

Over the last 60 years there have been only two major nuclear accidents: Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986, and Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

Role: subject
In the book: The text says Chernobyl likely caused up to 400 deaths, far fewer than most people guess, and blames old reactor design and Soviet secrecy.
Why it matters: Used to argue nuclear power is among the safest energy sources.