The Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant outside Pripyat in Ukraine pictured before the Russian invasion. Credit: Jason Minshull/ Public domainThe head of the UN’s atomic agency said on Tuesday radiation levels at the former Chernobyl nuclear power station, the scene of weeks of fighting after the Russian invasion, are “normal.”
International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi told reporters Russia’s weeks-long occupation of the site was “very, very dangerous,” according to AFP.
The site was seized by Russian forces on February 24th, the first day of the conflict in Ukraine, and held until the end of March when those forces withdrew from that part of Ukraine.
This led to a number of issues and concerns ranging from the interruption of communication to the regulator, the lack of data from safeguarding systems, interruptions to the site’s normal power supply, and a lack of staff rotation which amplified stress for workers performing important duties related to safety.
In March, Ukraine had warned that radioactive substances could be released if there is an electricity outage at the site, as it makes it impossible to cool spent nuclear fuel. The company said there were about 20,000 spent fuel assemblies at Chernobyl that could not be kept cool amid a power outage.
