In the early hours of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in February, thousands of troops and tanks rushed into the Chernobyl exclusion area. They churned up soil that had been contaminated by the 1986 accident. This was the worst nuclear disaster in history.
Some Russian soldiers hid in the dirt for more than a month near the huge structure designed to protect radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. It was impossible to inspect their trenches because it is forbidden to walk on dirt.
As the 36th anniversary marks the 1986 disaster of April 26, 1986 approaches, and Russia’s invasion continues, it is clear that Chernobyl, a relic from the Cold War, was never meant to be this.
Scientists and others watched in disbelief as Russian forces flew above the plant that had been closed for many years, disregarding the restricted airspace surrounding it. They placed personnel working at the plant under arrest for more than a month. Employees were forced to sleep on their tabletops and eat only twice per day.
Valerii Semenov (main security engineer at the plant), said that even though the Russians had left weeks ago, he needed to “calm down”. He worked for 35 consecutive days, sleeping just three hours per night, rationing cigarettes, and remaining on the job even after the Russians permitted him to change shifts.
He said that he was afraid of them installing something and causing damage to the system.
The Russians were kept away from the most hazardous areas by workers. However, Semenov described the plant as the worst he had seen in his 30 year career at Chernobyl. It was without electricity and relied on diesel generators for the vital work of cooling the spent fuel rods.
Maksym Shevchuck (deputy head of state agency that manages the exclusion zone) stated, “It was very risky to act in such a way.” It all scared him.
Russia’s invasion is the first time that the occupation of a nuclear power plant has been part of a country’s war strategy. Rebecca Harms, former president and leader of the Greens group in Europe, was one of those who visited Chernobyl many times. It was a “nightmare” scenario where “every nuclear power plant can be used as a pre-installed nuke bomb,” she said.
The exclusion zone was more desolate than normal and a visit revealed that the invasion posed a greater risk than the original Chernobyl explosion and fire that released radioactive material into the air. This incident became a symbol for the Soviet Union’s final years of collapse. The international community, which included Russia, spent billions of dollars to stabilize and secure this area.
Authorities are now working with Ukraine’s defence ministry to find ways to protect Chernobyl’s most important places. Anti-drone systems, anti-tank barriers and a system that protects against warplanes are at the top of this list.
It doesn’t matter if Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, resorts to nuclear weapons. Shevchuck claims he cannot rule out this possibility.
He said, “I know they can use any type of weapon and can do any horrible thing.”
Harms stated that Chernobyl requires special international protection and a strong U.N. mandate. The risks to Ukraine, as well as nearby Belarus and the rest of the world are the same as the original disaster.
She said, “It all depends on where the wind blows.”
Harms and others were stunned at the lack of safety or ignorance of Russian soldiers in recent invasion after watching thousands of Soviet soldiers attempt to contain the effects from the 1986 accident.
Sometimes, soldiers may even steal highly radioactive materials to use as souvenirs or sell them.
Shevchuck stated, “I believe from movies that all dangerous little things are very valuable.”
He believes that hundreds to thousands of soldiers have damaged their health, probably without knowing the consequences, despite warnings from plant workers to their commanders.
He said that most of the soldiers were between 20 and 25 years old. “All of these actions show that Russia’s management is a disaster.
It is not known what Russia did in the Chernobyl exclusion area. This is especially since the Russian troops have scattered mines which the Ukrainian military continues to search for. Some of the detonations have further disturbed radioactive ground. Several forest fires were also started by the Russians. These have since been extinguished.
Because Russian soldiers stole the main server used to monitor radiation levels in the zone, Ukrainian authorities are unable to do so. The connection was cut on March 2. Saturday’s statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that it was still not receiving remote data from its monitoring system. Even the radiation monitors of Chernobyl employees were taken by the Russians.
The Russians smashed glass and looted the communications center, which is one of the few buildings left in the area not overgrown by the natural environment. This building reminded me deeply of 1980s with its Soviet Union map still on the wall. Someone had traced Ukraine’s borders with a pink marker at one point.
Normal times, the zone is home to about 6,000 workers, with about half working at the nuclear power plant. Most workers were instructed to evacuate the area immediately after the Russians invaded. Currently, there are 100 workers left at the nuclear power plant and 100 elsewhere.
Semenov, the security officer, recalls that the Russians had been checking for radicals among the workers.
He said that he had said, “We said, “Look at our documents. 90% of us are from Russia.” “But we’re patriots for our country,” he said.
The Russians quickly left the region on March 31 in a rush to withdraw. They took 150 members of the Ukrainian national guard into Belarus. Shevchuck is afraid they are now in Russia.
The Russians rushed to offer nuclear plant managers the choice of signing a document stating that soldiers had secured the site and there were no complaints or being taken into Belarus. Managers signed.
The Russians did seem to have taken one protective measure: they left open a line that ran communications from the nuclear power plant through Slavutych, the workers’ community, and on to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Shevchuck claimed that it was used multiple times.
He said, “I believe they understood that it should be for safety.” According to the IAEA, Tuesday’s incident showed that the plant can now contact Ukraine’s nuclear regulator.
A second Ukrainian nuclear power plant is still under Russian control at Zaporizhzhia, in the southeastern Ukraine. It is Europe’s largest.
Shevchuck has, as have other Ukrainians, had it with Putin.
He said, “We’re inviting them inside the new safe confinement Shelter.” “Then, we will close it.”