Russian military confirms seizure of Chernobyl nuclear power plant

RT
Fri, 25 Feb 2022 08:46 UTC

© Sergei Supinsky/AFP

Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, 2019.

Moscow confirmed on Friday that its paratroopers seized the area surrounding the closed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine's northern Kiev Region, which was the site of a major disaster in 1986.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its troops struck a deal with Ukrainian soldiers to jointly maintain the safety of the reactors and the so-called New Safe Confinement - a giant shield-like structure built around the damaged reactor unit. The ministry added that the radiation level had not changed, and the plant's staff were continuing to monitor the situation as usual.

Ukraine's state nuclear agency, meanwhile, released a statement, saying the radiation levels "have been exceeded at a significant number of observation points." It said the data came from its automated radiation monitoring system, adding that it was impossible to determine what exactly had caused the reported increase in radiation.

Kiev has not confirmed the claim about an agreement having been reached with the Russians regarding the plant. On Thursday, Ukrainian officials said Russian soldiers entered its exclusion zone and captured the area after heavy fighting.

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine early on Thursday morning, arguing that it was necessary to protect the two Donbass republics from Kiev's forces. It said it was striking only military targets, without specifying their location, while Ukraine reported that Russian soldiers and armored vehicles had entered the country from several directions. Moscow has not commented on the reports of its troops crossing the border.

Russia's move against Ukraine followed reports of constant shelling along the line separating the Ukrainian army from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), with both sides blaming each other for ceasefire violations. On Monday, Moscow recognized the independence of both republics, which broke away from Ukraine after the 2014 coup in Kiev.

The DPR and LPR have accused Ukraine of preparing for a full-blown assault against them. Kiev, meanwhile, has denied plans to retake the rebel areas by force and maintains that the Russian military operation is entirely unjustified.

Comment: The Chernobyl facility, a prime target for a false flag operation, is now off the table.

The Russian military operation in Ukraine has dealt no damage to the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) confirmed on Friday. The major London-based investment bank added that essential maintenance work at the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster is ongoing. It said in a statement to Reuters:

"The information we currently have is that the existing infrastructure of the New Safe Confinement and the Interim Spent Fuel Store 2 (ISF2) has not been damaged and the essential operational and maintenance tasks are being undertaken."

On Thursday, Russian forces entered the northern Ukrainian ghost city from Belarus and captured the former power plant after what Kiev has claimed was "fierce fighting" in the Exclusion Zone. The Chernobyl plant generated the worst nuclear catastrophe in history in 1986, when reactor four went into meltdown. Moscow has confirmed that it was in control of the area on Friday.

The Ukrainian nuclear agency and interior ministry claimed earlier in the day that there were increased radiation levels from the site of the defunct power plant. Experts cited by Reuters were unsure of the reasons why but suggested it was due to movement of heavy military equipment in the area lifting radioactive dust into the air.

The EBRD - an International Financial Institution set up to invest in the transitioning socialist nations of the Eastern Bloc in the early 1990s - has overseen a project to build a shelter on top of the highly radioactive plant.

The gigantic steel sarcophagus, which took years to construct, covers the dilapidated old structure around the crippled reactor, which will remain radioactive for years to come.