Zhelensky accuses Russia of “putting the world on the brink of disaster” by occupying Chernobyl
Russia’s occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant at the start of the Ukrainian invasion has put the world on the brink of disaster, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky today accusing it of being the worst nuclear disaster in history.
“The world is once again on the brink of disaster because the Chernobyl area and the former nuclear plant are like ordinary territory for the Russian military to conduct military operations,” the Ukrainian head of state stressed at a conference. With Rafael Rossi, President of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to Volodymyr Zhelensky, the Russian military “did not care about nuclear safety” and “kept a group of armored vehicles in the territory of the plant, destroying the ground and raising abnormal amounts of dust, especially radioactive particles”.
No state in the world has posed such a major threat to nuclear security in Europe and the world since 1986, as Russia has created since February 24, “said Ukraine’s President.
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in 1986 and polluted much of Europe, especially Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, which were part of the Soviet Union. Known as the Exemption Zone, the 30-kilometer radius around the plant is still heavily polluted and has been banned from living there permanently.
The occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine by the Russian military from February 24 to the end of March was “very, very dangerous,” the IAEA Director-General said during a site visit today.
“The situation is completely extraordinary and very dangerous,” Rafael Croce told reporters during a visit to Chernobyl on the 36th anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster in history in 1986.
A team of experts accompanied by the IAEA Director-General also visited the site to “deliver key equipment” including “dosimeters and protective clothing” and “radiation and other controls,” the UN said last Friday.
Rafael Crozi had already visited Ukraine in late March and laid the groundwork for a technical assistance agreement, visiting the southern Yushno-Ukraine power plant before meeting with senior Russian officials in Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast.
Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors with four power plants, as well as waste bins such as the Chernobyl plant, which were shut down after the 1986 disaster.
Russian forces withdrew from the Chernobyl plant in late March, but still occupy the Zaporizhia plant in southern Ukraine.
Therefore, Zhelensky today again appealed to foreign leaders to provide an “effective response” to establishing Ukrainian control over the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, including the introduction of peacekeepers.
“They [forças russas] Today, again, three missiles were fired against Ukraine, which flew directly over the reactors of our nuclear facilities, “he warned.
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