Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, widely known to audiences for his role as Jaime Lannister in the TV series Game of Thrones, visited the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on October 26, 2026. He arrived not as a tourist, but at the head of a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) delegation, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the organization. As reported by the agency on November 1 November, Coster-Waldau's visit to Ukraine lasted a week and was timed to coincide with the creation of a documentary project dedicated to the station's operations and the challenges facing the exclusion zone amidst the war.

Purpose of the visit: Documentary project on the exclusion zone

According to the UNDP, the documentary project team recorded interviews with Chernobyl NPP staff at the station. The main goal of the initiative is to draw international attention to several key issues: the restoration of the new safe confinement, environmental protection, and ensuring radiation safety. As follows from statements by the station and the organization, the emphasis is placed on the consequences of damage to the protective arch and the need for its restoration, as well as the daily work of personnel under emergency conditions.

What the delegation saw at the station

During the visit, the delegation inspected a number of facilities at the Chernobyl NPP. The program included the Heroes of Chernobyl memorial, the block control rooms of the third and fourth power units, the premises of the new safe confinement arch, and the observation deck of the Shelter object — the protective structure over the destroyed reactor. According to Station General Director Sergiy Tarakanov, the actor did not limit himself to a formal inspection: he asked thorough questions, inquired about the station's operations, the consequences of the 1986 accident, and the current challenges faced by the staff.

Conversation with Chernobyl NPP management: Confinement and winter power supply

A separate item on the trip was a meeting with Chernobyl NPP General Director Sergiy Tarakanov. During the conversation, they discussed the damage to the station, the progress of restoring the new safe confinement, and ensuring reliable power supply to nuclear facilities ahead of winter. The context for this topic is also an earlier decision: with UNDP support, a 2 MW solar power plant was installed at the Chernobyl NPP, which is part of the facility's overall energy supply circuit.

A week in Ukraine: From Chernobyl to communities

In addition to Chernobyl, as part of his week-long visit, Coster-Waldau met with veterans learning humanitarian demining, as well as with women undergoing training to operate heavy agricultural machinery. According to the organization, these meetings became part of a broader understanding of how international support impacts the daily lives of Ukrainian communities.

Call for international support

Following the trip, the actor urged continued support for Ukrainian communities and assistance in installing the necessary energy equipment before the onset of winter. "People continue to need safety, stability, and ongoing support," Coster-Waldau emphasized. Thus, the visit to the Chernobyl NPP became the central, but not the only, element of a humanitarian mission linking radiation safety and infrastructure restoration issues with broader tasks of assisting the population.