SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russian forces had made "a declaration of war against the whole of Europe" by entering the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in northern Ukraine. (Photo: Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Reported Fighting Near Chernobyl Sparks Fears of Nuclear Disaster
"If Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022."
Feb 24, 2022
Update (12:45 pm ET):
The Ukrainians have reportedly lost control of the Chernobyl site after fighting broke out there.
"After a fierce battle, Ukrainian control over the Chernobyl site was lost," said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the former Chernobyl power plant on Thursday. "The condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown."
"It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians," Podolyak told Reuters. "This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today."
Personnel at the site have reportedly been taken hostage.
Earlier:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russian forces have made "a declaration of war against the whole of Europe" by entering the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in northern Ukraine and fighting the country's troops there.
"Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Zelensky said in a statement. "Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated."
The reported invasion of the area surrounding Chernobyl, the former power plant which was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, sparked fears of the spread of radioactive nuclear waste contained there underground.
"If the invader's artillery hits and ruins/damages the collectors of nuclear waste, radioactive nuclear dust can be spread over the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, and the [countries] of the E.U.," warned Ukrainian Interior Minister Anton Herashchenk.
The 1986 meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl left the 1,000-square mile region surrounding it "one of the most radioactive places on Earth," according to the New York Times.
Dmytro Gumenyuk, a radiation safety expert based in Kyiv, told British news outlet i Wednesday that with a lack of high-precision weapons in the region, Ukrainian or Russian forces could accidentally hit "sensitive facilities" and "radiation could contaminate air, soil, and waterways, affecting not only Ukraine but also Russia and much of Europe."
"In 1986, the world saw the biggest technological disaster in Chernobyl," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry tweeted. "If Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Update (12:45 pm ET):
The Ukrainians have reportedly lost control of the Chernobyl site after fighting broke out there.
"After a fierce battle, Ukrainian control over the Chernobyl site was lost," said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the former Chernobyl power plant on Thursday. "The condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown."
"It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians," Podolyak told Reuters. "This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today."
Personnel at the site have reportedly been taken hostage.
Earlier:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russian forces have made "a declaration of war against the whole of Europe" by entering the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in northern Ukraine and fighting the country's troops there.
"Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Zelensky said in a statement. "Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated."
The reported invasion of the area surrounding Chernobyl, the former power plant which was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, sparked fears of the spread of radioactive nuclear waste contained there underground.
"If the invader's artillery hits and ruins/damages the collectors of nuclear waste, radioactive nuclear dust can be spread over the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, and the [countries] of the E.U.," warned Ukrainian Interior Minister Anton Herashchenk.
The 1986 meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl left the 1,000-square mile region surrounding it "one of the most radioactive places on Earth," according to the New York Times.
Dmytro Gumenyuk, a radiation safety expert based in Kyiv, told British news outlet i Wednesday that with a lack of high-precision weapons in the region, Ukrainian or Russian forces could accidentally hit "sensitive facilities" and "radiation could contaminate air, soil, and waterways, affecting not only Ukraine but also Russia and much of Europe."
"In 1986, the world saw the biggest technological disaster in Chernobyl," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry tweeted. "If Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022."
Update (12:45 pm ET):
The Ukrainians have reportedly lost control of the Chernobyl site after fighting broke out there.
"After a fierce battle, Ukrainian control over the Chernobyl site was lost," said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the former Chernobyl power plant on Thursday. "The condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown."
"It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians," Podolyak told Reuters. "This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today."
Personnel at the site have reportedly been taken hostage.
Earlier:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russian forces have made "a declaration of war against the whole of Europe" by entering the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in northern Ukraine and fighting the country's troops there.
"Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Zelensky said in a statement. "Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated."
The reported invasion of the area surrounding Chernobyl, the former power plant which was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, sparked fears of the spread of radioactive nuclear waste contained there underground.
"If the invader's artillery hits and ruins/damages the collectors of nuclear waste, radioactive nuclear dust can be spread over the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, and the [countries] of the E.U.," warned Ukrainian Interior Minister Anton Herashchenk.
The 1986 meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl left the 1,000-square mile region surrounding it "one of the most radioactive places on Earth," according to the New York Times.
Dmytro Gumenyuk, a radiation safety expert based in Kyiv, told British news outlet i Wednesday that with a lack of high-precision weapons in the region, Ukrainian or Russian forces could accidentally hit "sensitive facilities" and "radiation could contaminate air, soil, and waterways, affecting not only Ukraine but also Russia and much of Europe."
"In 1986, the world saw the biggest technological disaster in Chernobyl," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry tweeted. "If Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.