Ukraine war: Situation in nuclear power plants is delicate - other environmental disasters are threatening

Created: 03/08/2022, 21:52

By: Tim Vincent Dicke

The situation in Ukraine's nuclear power plants remains tense.

Since Russia's invasion, other dangers have been brewing in the shadow of the public eye.

Kyiv – Russia's President Vladimir Putin* not only knows how to scare the West with his threats of nuclear weapons.

The nuclear plants in Ukraine* also appear to be under threat.

Since the capture of the Chernobyl disaster reactor by Russian forces* on February 24, concerns about a nuclear accident have been growing.

On Friday (March 4th, 2022) the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* shook up the world public with a haunting Twitter video.

"If there's an explosion - that's the end for everyone.

The end for Europe.

The evacuation of Europe.” The Russian military had just fired at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, and caused a fire on the site*.

Nuclear power plants under fire in the Ukraine war: Selenskyj speaks of "nuclear terror"

Selenskyj spoke of a targeted shelling of the reactor and accused Putin's regime of "nuclear terrorism"*.

Apparently, Russia* wants to repeat the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

“Europe needs to wake up now.

Right now, Russian tanks are shelling the reactor blocks,” said Zelenskyy.

Fortunately, it later turned out that only one administration building caught fire and none of the reactors were damaged.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian supervisory authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that no increased radiation had been measured in Zaporizhia.

The administrative building at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was severely damaged by the fire.

© AFP

And Jill Hruby, the head of the US National Administration for Nuclear Safety, told the US news channel CNN: “In this particular situation, there was never a risk of a nuclear catastrophe.

But it is clear that things can quickly get out of hand.”

Ukraine war: Chernobyl nuclear power plant workers under “mental pressure”

There are a total of five nuclear power plants in Ukraine – including the decommissioned, damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The IAEA is concerned about the Russian seizure of the power plant in which the worst nuclear accident in history was triggered on April 26, 1986.

Because although the reactors are no longer running, there are large amounts of radioactive material on the site.

Although no dangerous radiation levels have been measured in Chernobyl so far, the safety protocols are apparently not being observed.

According to the Ukrainian regulator, the shift has not been able to rotate since the Russian capture on February 24.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine*, the same staff has been taking care of the nuclear plant without a long break.

The IAEA reported on Tuesday (March 8th, 2022) in Vienna that around 210 technicians and local security staff have been on duty at the nuclear power plant for almost two weeks without interruption because no shift change had taken place under Russian control.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was "deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation of the workers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and about the possible safety risks associated with it".

In addition to nuclear power plants, other nuclear plants in Ukraine are also at risk

Not only the nuclear power plants are affected, other nuclear plants are also endangered.

On Sunday (March 6th, 2022) the Ukrainian authorities reported an artillery attack on a nuclear research facility in Kharkiv.

The radiation did not increase there either, the IAEA announced.

Because the "stock of radioactive material is very low" and is kept in a "subcritical" condition, the reported "damage would not have had any radiological consequences," the agency stressed.

The affected facility is part of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, a research institute that produces radioactive material for medical and industrial applications.

“We see what is happening on the ground in Ukraine.

If there is a nuclear accident this time, it will not be caused by a tsunami created by Mother Nature.

Instead, it will be the result of human error when we knew we could and should act," said Rafael Grossi on Monday (March 7th, 2022) in Vienna.

Toxic industrial fires in Ukraine

While the dangers of nuclear accidents are widely discussed in public, other Ukrainian industrial sites can also cause enormous damage to people and the environment.

Since the Russian army has already shelled oil and ammunition depots in Ukraine, fires are blazing there, some of them violent.

Toxic smoke rises into the sky and spreads around the area.

In the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine alone, there are 4,000 dangerous locations, according to news platform Politico.

For 2019, the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe reported 465 dedicated garbage dumps across Ukraine, designed to store over six billion tons of waste from various industries, Politico reports.

"At this point it becomes clear that the potential for colossal damage is great," said Doug Weir of the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS).

(tvd)