Chernobyl Radiation ‘Abnormal’ Since Russian Takeover, Brief Occupation ‘ Very Dangerous’: IAEA Chief

The UN atomic watchdog chief on Tuesday described radiation levels at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site as “abnormal”, saying the area’s brief Russian occupation had been “very, very dangerous”.

“The radiation level, I would say, is abnormal,” said International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi during a visit on the anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

“There have been some moments when the levels have gone up because of the movement of the heavy equipment that Russian forces were bringing here, and when they left,” he said, adding, “we are following that day by day.”

Speaking as he arrived at the sarcophagus that covers the nuclear reactor’s radioactive remains, he said the takeover by Russian forces had been “absolutely abnormal and very, very dangerous”.

Russian troops took over the site on February 24, the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, taking Ukrainian soldiers prisoner and detaining civilian staff at the site. The occupation lasted until the end of March and raised global fears of nuclear leaks.

Ukrainian officials have said Russian soldiers may have been exposed to radiation after digging fortifications in “many places” at the site and stirring up clouds of dust with their armoured vehicles.

On April 26, 1986, an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction destroyed the reactor in an accident that was initially covered up by the Soviet authorities. Many hundreds died though the exact figure remains disputed.

Eventually, 3,50,000 people were evacuated from a 30-km radius around the plant, an exclusion zone that remains uninhabited, apart from some elderly residents who returned despite an official ban. The Chernobyl power station’s three other reactors were successively closed, with the latest shutting off in 2000.

Russia war risks nuclear disaster: EU

The European Union has warned that the Russian invasion of Ukraine risked setting off a fresh nuclear disaster in Europe, 36 years after the accident at the Chernobyl plant.

“Today, Russia’s illegal and unjustified aggression in Ukraine again jeopardises nuclear safety on our continent,” the European Commission said in a statement. It said Moscow’s forces had “targeted and occupied Ukrainian nuclear sites, recklessly damaging the facilities”.

“The unlawful occupation and the interruption of normal operations, such as preventing the rotation of personnel, undermine the safe and secure operation of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and significantly raise the risk of an accident,” it said.

Russian troops have also seized the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant, Europe’s largest, after an attack at the site that drew global concern.

“On the anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl accident, we reiterate our utmost concern over the nuclear safety and security risks caused by Russia’s recent actions at the Chernobyl site,” the EU statement said.

“We call on Moscow to return control of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the Ukrainian authorities and refrain from any further actions targeting nuclear installations.”

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