KYIV: An uncontrolled collapse of the internal radiation shell at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine could increase the risk of radioactivity release in the environment, Greenpeace warned on Tuesday. In 1986, while Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded, sending clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. The remnants of the plant are covered by an inner steel-and-concrete radiation shell -- known as the sarcophagus and built hastily after the disaster -- and a modern, high-tech outer shell, called the New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure. Kyiv has accused Russia of repeatedly targeting the site since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, including of a strike last year that pierced the outer shell. In a report released Tuesday, days before the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Greenpeace warned that despite some repair works, the confinement function of the NSC &quot;could not be fully restored&quot;. &quot;This increases the risk of radioactivity release in the environment, especially in the case of a collapse&quot; of the internal shelter, Greenpeace said. &quot;That would be catastrophic because... there&#39;s four tons of dust, highly radioactive dust, fuel pellets, enormous amounts of radioactivity inside the sarcophagus,&quot; Shaun Burnie, a senior nuclear specialist for Greenpeace Ukraine, told AFP earlier this month. &quot;And because the New Safe Confinement cannot be repaired at the moment, it cannot function as it was designed, there&#39;s a possibility of radioactive releases,&quot; Burnie added. Greenpeace said the deconstruction of unstable elements of the internal shell was necessary to prevent their uncontrolled collapse. But any work at the site was impeded by the war raging on as &quot;there are missiles from the Russians still being fired across Chernobyl,&quot; Burnie said. &quot;Here we are 40 years on, and Russia is still conducting effectively a nuclear war against the people of Ukraine and Europe.&quot; Plant director Sergiy Tarakanov said the situation around the site was &quot;very dangerous&quot;. &quot;If a rocket drops, not directly into the safe confinement, but just in 200 metres, it will create an external impact like an earthquake,&quot; increasing the risk of the inner shell collapsing. &quot;And what the 1986 accident actually showed to us... that the radioactive particles, they do not recognize borders,&quot; Tarakanov added. Last month, France said that the Chernobyl protective dome would require almost 500 million euros of repairs after the Russian strike in 2025.

Representatives of Greenpeace and media stand in front of the sarcophagus covering the destroyed fourth reactor under the New Safe Confinement (NSC), at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 9, 2026. (AFP)

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In a report released Tuesday, days before the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Greenpeace warned that despite some repair works, the confinement function of the NSC "could not be fully restored".

Greenpeace warns of potential 'catastrophic' Chernobyl collapse

PARIS: A study commissioned by Greenpeace said on Wednesday that oil companies have been making more than 80 million euros a day in &quot;war profits&quot; in the European Union since the start of the war in the Middle East. &quot;If this level persists, the oil companies can expect additional operating profits of approximately 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) for the month of March alone,&quot; the study said. The study examined the difference between the price of crude oil and the price of fuel at the pump between January and February 2026, and the first three weeks of the war in March. &quot;The report shows that the rise in prices at the pump is far greater than that of underlying crude oil prices,&quot; Greenpeace said in a statement. The increase in margins was much greater for diesel fuel than for petrol. &quot;Compared with the pre-war months, the oil companies earned a daily excess profit of 75.3 million euros from the sale of diesel fuel to cars and trucks,&quot; the report said. &quot;Petrol sales contributed 6.1 million euros per day.&quot; Margins were expanded predominantly in countries with high purchasing power such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Germany, the report said. In Germany, excess profits stood at 23.8 million euros per day, followed by France, at 11.6 million euros per day. &quot;Greenpeace France is calling on European governments to introduce permanent additional taxes on the profits of oil and gas companies, the proceeds of which would be used to reduce energy bills and accelerate European energy independence,&quot; the environmental group said. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering a regional conflict that has caused global oil and gas prices to surge and sparked fears of fuel shortages, especially in import-reliant Asia. Last week, the price of diesel in France hit its highest level since 1985, surpassing the peaks reached after Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Under increasing pressure, many governments have rolled out measures to limit the impact of supply difficulties and soaring energy prices.

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A Greenpeace-commissioned study said oil companies in the EU are making over 80 million euros a day in excess profits during the Middle East war, driven mainly by sharply higher diesel margins.

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Greenpeace warns of potential 'catastrophic' Chernobyl collapse

Greenpeace accuses oil companies of reaping Mideast 'war profits'