One of the most disturbing events that occurred with the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was the Russian takeover of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
It is a very sensitive facility - not only because 36 years ago the worst nuclear accident in history took place, but also because today it holds huge amounts of used nuclear fuel, even though the reactor is not operating.
Now, a month after the Russian invasion, "Israel Today" is publishing exclusive photos of the entry of Russian forces into the reactor.
We blurred some of the photos so as not to endanger the employees.
On February 24, Russian forces entered the "closed area" - an area with a radius of 30 km around the station, where there is high pollution in the radioactive particles. Traffic is restricted and requires transit permits. So that a much greater catastrophe than an exchange of fire does not accidentally occur, but the damage has already been done.
"Upon their arrival, the Russians immediately took over a building used as a residence and administration, and in fact became hostages to all 210 people who were on duty," a reactor worker told Israel Today, who asked not to be exposed.
"In addition to them, the National Guard who secured the station, the fire brigade, the medical staff and four wanderers in the area, who were caught at the station at a particularly bad time, were also captured. Because of the corona's restrictions. "
Armored near the station in Chernobyl,
After a short time, the shift staff was returned to its place to continue the regular work at the reactor, however most of the labor movements are supervised by the Russians or escorted by soldiers.
The Ukrainian guards were taken to a guarded compound and are in fact being held there to this day.
The worker says that after a short time there is a shortage of food and equipment, because bringing supplies to the station is not easy: the distance from Kiev is 111 km and from the city of Selbutich (where most of the station workers live) is 46 km, with passage through Belarus.
According to the employee, over the past month the Russians have sent TV crews to describe the situation at the station to Russian viewers.
"Twice they brought TV crews to the station. The first time they stole protective clothing from the company, which built the sarcophagus over Reactor 4, and prepared a pike report on the distribution of humanitarian aid to workers.
Negligence in the closed area
It was not only propaganda that the Russians engaged in.
Twice they cut off the power supply, which could have caused the fuel to overheat.
The invaders also dismantled and robbed a radiation research lab at a cost of 6 million euros.
In any case, it was only almost a month later, on March 20, that some of the hostages were released.
Since the bridge over the Dnieper was destroyed, the evacuation was done using boats in several stages.
"The shift staff, who are supposed to work according to the safety standard for a maximum of 12 hours, completed 600 hours of continuous attendance. They returned home exhausted and emptied. Instead, 46 other experts went out to the station, who actually volunteered to be hostages to continue allowing the station work. The next rotation, what's more, last weekend the Russians brought forces into the city of Selbutich.
Chernobyl Power Station, Photo: API
"In the Russian column there was a lot of heavy equipment and weapons," says the reactor worker. "Forest fires broke out at various points in the closed area, which only exacerbated the pollution. For a long time, the Russian army prevented firefighters from gaining access."
"Soldiers hit by radiation"
There are two nuclear facilities in the Chernobyl area, where 21,000 used nuclear fuel facilities are stored.
One of them is an older, wet-type storage reservoir, which holds used fuel from reactors 1, 2 and 3, and a modern, dry storage reservoir, to which they began transferring the used fuel from the first reservoir and intended to complete the process within a decade.
Beyond that, a huge source of nuclear danger could be the cover above Reactor 4 that exploded in 1986, with all its contents.
Can it be said that every hour of the presence of foreigners, certainly armed, in the station area, increases the nuclear risks?
"It can be said that any uncontrolled movement in the enclosed area increases the risk of radioactive contamination, and any presence of weapons near nuclear facilities, as well as contact with the power plant equipment by people without proper training, are a direct risk to nuclear safety."
What is meant by "contact with equipment"? Will press the wrong button?
"Theoretically yes, for example during the transport of nuclear fuel. But at the moment, these works are not being carried out."
Yesterday, preliminary reports appeared in Ukraine that Russia had begun evacuating soldiers suffering from radiation sickness.
It was alleged that the intruders arrived without the protective equipment required for a prolonged stay at the site.
Over the weekend, one of Chernobyl officials wrote on his Facebook page that "the Russians have begun to fortify themselves in the Red Forest" - the most dangerous place in the "closed area".
"Want to wish them to dig deeper and stay longer," he quipped
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us