Russian occupation of Chernobyl 'incredibly alarming,' White House says
WASHINGTON — Few regions on Earth are as poorly equipped to handle military conflict as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine, where a reactor meltdown in 1986 caused the greatest release of radioactive material in human history. But two days of occupation by Russian forces have raised concerns that safety issues are being ignored.
Russian and Ukrainian forces waged a battle at the site of the nuclear facility on Thursday, with Russia ultimately prevailing, and prompting questions about the safety of the plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned.
“After the absolutely senseless attack of the Russians in this direction, it is impossible to say that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe,” Myhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the Associated Press.
So far, there is no reason to believe that either Ukrainians living nearby or anyone else is endangered by the recent developments. But the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement on Friday that it was of “vital importance that the safe and secure operations of the zone’s nuclear facilities should not be affected or disrupted in any way.” The agency confirmed Ukrainian reports of higher radioactivity readings “caused by heavy military vehicles stirring up soil” that is soaked through with some of the most dangerous elements known to humankind.
Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, said on Friday that Russian forces were holding 92 workers at the plant hostage.
Chernobyl’s fragile and fraught peace was shattered on Thursday, when Russian troops crossed the border between Ukraine and Belarus, part of an invasion that has been widely condemned by the international community — and by many Russian citizens.
When the reactor melted down on April 26, 1986, during what was supposed to be an ordinary test, an explosion followed by raging fires spewed radiation into the atmosphere. The accident is believed to have released far more radioactivity than did the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. Since then, the site has required constant attention.
On Thursday, the White House described the Russian occupation of Chernobyl as “incredibly alarming and gravely concerning,” in keeping with its broader condemnation of the Ukrainian occupation.
