Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

Showing Original Post only (View all)

L. Coyote

(51,134 posts)
Thu Mar 31, 2022, 01:15 PM Mar 2022

Russian Soldiers Leave Chernobyl With Radiation Illness, Energy Company Says [View all]

https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vw8x/russian-soldiers-leave-chernobyl-with-radiation-illness-energy-company-says

After more than a month of occupying the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a number of Russian troops have left the exclusion zone, Ukrainian officials are reporting.

Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy operator, reported Thursday that two columns of Russian troops had left the site and were heading toward the Belarusian border.

“This morning, the invaders announced their intentions to leave the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to Ukrainian station personnel,” a statement posted to the Energoatom Telegram channel reads.

Their departure marks a milestone in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Troops first entered the 1,000-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster on Feb. 24, the first day of the invasion, immediately igniting concerns about the risk of a second similar disaster and the broader environmental consequences of dredged-up nuclear waste. The Ukraine government reported throughout Russia’s invasion that staff at the plant were being held hostage, unable to rotate positions and follow typical safety protocol. At one point, the power plant was brought entirely offline; at another, officials reported that they had lost all contact with staff there.

Though the plant is no longer operating, it requires a team of staff to manage the maintenance of nuclear waste. Still, nuclear experts cautioned that the risk of a second Chernobyl disaster on the same scale as the first was essentially nil.

..............



14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Russian Soldiers Leave Ch...