Ukraine war: Russia takes former Chernobyl nuclear plant - what could be behind it

Created: 02/25/2022, 11:25 am

By: Felix Durach

During the war in Ukraine, Russian troops captured the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

What is President Putin aiming at with this maneuver?

Kiev - The war in Ukraine is raging.

Since the night from Wednesday to Thursday, Russian troops have increasingly penetrated Ukrainian sovereign territory, where hostilities are taking place.

However, the fighting is not limited to the so-called People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Russian troops are also launching attacks on Ukraine from the Black Sea to the south and from bases in Belarus to the north.

President Vladimir Putin said before the attacks that Russia's goal is to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.

War in Ukraine: Russian troops advancing - Chernobyl captured after "bitter" fighting

Although Russian forces were unable to reach the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Thursday, progress was made in troop movements across the country.

A message in particular caused a stir early on Thursday evening.

Russian troops have captured the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant after "fierce" fighting, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykhailo Podoliak confirmed.

The exclusion zone around the destroyed nuclear reactor is now under Russian control and can no longer be considered safe.

It is "one of the most serious threats to Europe," continued Podoljak.

Ukraine conflict: Russia controls former Chernobyl nuclear plant - what are Putin's goals?

But what signal does Vladimir Putin want to send by conquering the area that represents the greatest catastrophe in the history of the civilian use of nuclear power?

Even if Putin's motives are not known at this time, there are several attempts to explain the actions of the Russian military.

The exclusion zone around Chernobyl could only serve as an intermediate goal for the Russian armed forces in the Ukraine war.

The declared target of Putin's attacks is the capital Kiev.

The former Chernobyl nuclear power plant is near the border with Belarus, from where Russian troops launched their attack, just a two-hour drive north of Kiev.

In the Russian march plan, the exclusion zone could simply have been located between the start and destination.

"It's the shortest way from A to B," says James Acton of the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace of the Tagesschau.

Ukraine war: Putin lets take Chernobyl - Russian fear of nuclear weapons?

The capture of Chernobyl in the Ukraine conflict is also interesting in relation to Putin's accusations that Ukraine is planning to build nuclear weapons.

"We know that there have been reports that Ukraine wants to produce its own nuclear weapons," the Kremlin chief said in a televised address on Monday.

This is "not an empty boast." Ukraine still has Soviet delivery systems for nuclear weapons, Putin continued.

The capture of the destroyed nuclear reactor could therefore also be linked to the statements made by the Russian President.

What are the goals of Russian President Vladimir Putin by capturing the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant?

© Aleksey Nikolskyi/imago-images

Ukraine conflict: Horrified reactions to fighting around Chernobyl - "Declaration of war against all of Europe"

Observers also assume that Putin wants to send a threat to the West by conquering the historic exclusion zone in the Ukraine war.

Evidence of this was already evident on Thursday in the reactions to the conquest.

In the evening, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of a “declaration of war against all of Europe” with a view to Chernobyl. Nato countries have also criticized Russia’s actions.

US government spokeswoman Jen Psaki spoke of a "hostage-taking" by Russia and expressed major security concerns.

"This unlawful and dangerous hostage situation, which could suspend routine conservation and safety operations at the nuclear waste facilities, is incredibly alarming and of great concern," Psaki said Thursday night in Washington DC.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also expressed safety concerns with regard to the current situation in Chernobyl.

Safety in the accident reactor must be guaranteed at all costs, demanded IAEA boss Rafael Grossi on Thursday evening in Vienna.

They are following the situation "with serious concern" and are calling for "maximum restraint." Control over Chernobyl could thus also be used to exert further pressure on the West.

War in Ukraine: Russian Defense Ministry contradicts reports of increased radiation

Meanwhile, the Russian military has announced that it will send more paratroopers to Chernobyl to guard the power plant.

The Russian Defense Ministry also stated that radiation levels around the destroyed nuclear reactor were normal.

A statement that is difficult to verify due to the current situation in the Ukraine war.

A Ukrainian government surveillance system had recorded a sharp increase in radioactive radiation after the fighting on Thursday.

However, the reasons for this are also unclear at the current time.

Dust thrown up by the fighting could also have caused the increase.