The UK government announced on 15 October 2026 that it would provide £17m in new support for repairs to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, whose protective shelter was damaged by a Russian drone strike last year. The funding is part of an international programme coordinated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, working with the Government of Ukraine and G7 donors, and is intended to restore the structure's confinement and ventilation functions and protect its intended lifespan.

Officials said that without repairs, corrosion risks undermining decades of international investment and creating longer-term environmental and safety risks. The UK was a founding donor to the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account in 2020, and its total donations to the account stand at €8m, making it the third largest individual donor behind Norway and France.

The announcement also cited continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including more than 200 strikes on electricity infrastructure and 17 on oil and gas facilities between 5 and 11 October. It said a 13 October ballistic missile attack left 600,000 civilians without power. The government also noted £54 million in winter support announced during the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to Kyiv.