Ukraine Has Confirmed That The Chernobyl Power Plant Has Been Captured By Russian Military Forces
The Russian military has taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear power facility, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, a presidential advisor in Ukraine.
He stated, “It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians.”
Podolyak added, “This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today.”
The announcement came just hours after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces were attempting to seize control of the former Soviet-era power plant site.
According to a Russian security source, several Russian troops gathered in the Chernobyl “exclusion zone” before crossing into Ukraine early on Thursday.
According to the same source, Russia intends to control the Chernobyl nuclear plant to tell NATO not to intervene militarily.
After a botched safety test at the atomic plant’s fourth reactor, the Chernobyl tragedy in then-Soviet Ukraine spread clouds of radioactive material throughout much of Europe in 1986. It became a tourist attraction decades later.
Thousands of square kilometers of land surrounding the site have been declared uninhabitable. To avoid radioactive leakage, a bunker was built around the decommissioned plant, and a 29-kilometer radius around the site is designated as an “exclusion zone”.
The Chernobyl zone was closed to travelers about a week before the Russian invasion.
According to the Associated Press, Russian shelling hit a nuclear waste site, resulting in a spike in radiation levels. To discuss the sensitive matter, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
An advisor to the interior minister, Anton Herashchenko, told the New York Times that the Ukrainian military put up a “fierce resistance” on Thursday.
He said, “Radioactive dust could cover the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and the countries of the European Union” if any artillery shell hit the storage unit.
On a talk show on Thursday, Oleksiy Arestovych, an assistant to the director of the Ukrainian President’s Office, said he believes the Russians used Chernobyl as a blackmail strategy.
According to news reported by Ukrinform, Arestovych said, “Chernobyl has been seized and I think they will blackmail the West. The President’s Office is preparing a response to possible blackmail through Chernobyl.”
On Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin began a widespread attack on Ukraine.
Russian forces launched land, sea, and air attacks against Ukraine, and the administration in the southern Kherson area confirmed that parts of the country were no longer under Kyiv’s control.
Following missile strikes on numerous regions in Ukraine, Ukrainians have begun to depart the nation. At least 40 people have died and dozens have been injured because of Russian assaults, as said by an advisor to the Ukrainian presidential office.
Other countries have been warned by Putin that interfering with Russian actions will result in “consequences they have never seen.”
Global Affairs Canada, which has advised Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to Ukraine since January, amended its advice on Thursday for remaining Canadians to “shelter in place unless it is safe for you to leave the country.”
A notice on the Global Affairs website read, “The security conditions are deteriorating rapidly.”
Glenda Bozeman – Business and Services
Glenda Bozeman writes Business articles for industries that want to see their Google search rankings surge. Her articles have appeared in a number of sites. Her articles focus on enlightening with informative Services sector needs. She holds the degree of Masters in Business and Marketing. Before she started writing, she experimented with various professions: computer programming, assistant marker, and others. But her favorite job is writing that she is now doing full-time.
