Chernobyl safeguard system in Ukraine ‘at risk’ after transmission lost when Russia took control of nuclear power plant

CHERNOBYL’S safeguard system in Ukraine is at risk after data transmission was lost when Russians took control over the site, officials say. Technical personnel and guards have been working there since Russian forces took control of the site almost two weeks ago, per Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainian officials told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it […]

CHERNOBYL’S safeguard system in Ukraine is at risk after data transmission was lost when Russians took control over the site, officials say.

Technical personnel and guards have been working there since Russian forces took control of the site almost two weeks ago, per Ukrainian authorities.

EPA

EPA

Ukrainian officials told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it is “becoming increasingly urgent” to rotate some 210 technical personnel and guards.

The same shift has reportedly been on duty at the Chornobyl NPP since the day before the Russian military entered the site 13 days ago.

In contrast, the staff working at nuclear pants under Ukrainian control have been rotating constantly, officials claim.

“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

“I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there.” 

Director General Grossi stressed that staff operating nuclear facilities must be able to rest and work in regular shifts, adding that this is crucial for nuclear safety. 

According to Ukrainian regulators, the staff at Chernobyl has access to food and water, and medicine to a limited extent.

Additionally, the handling of nuclear material at the Chornobyl NPP has been put on hold.

Regulators described the situation as “worsening” and they could only communicate with the plant via e-mail.

Russian forces captured the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the early hours of of Thursday, February 24, as war broke out on the eastern borders of Ukraine.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was once a power complex with four nuclear reactors based in a remote area of Ukraine.

An explosion during the construction of the last two reactors in 1986 killed two workers immediately and 28 others died from radiation poisoning within a few weeks.

Radioactivity spread as far as Italy and France resulting in deformities in newly-born livestock and contaminating millions of miles of farmland.

An investigation into the explosion revealed faulty protocols in the design of the reactors and poorly trained personnel caused the destruction.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster is considered to be the worst nuclear disaster in the world, and more than three decades later, the area remains as dangerous as ever.

Chernobyl is situated in northern Kieve Oblast in Ukraine, near the border with Belarus.