Russian shelling at Ukrainian nuclear plant risks 'another Chernobyl'
New ScientistAug 08, 2022
Day 207: Clashes Erupt in Kherson; Putin 'Failing On All Of His Military Strategic Objectives', Says UK Defense Chief
Photo: AP [via The Guardian]
The Facts
Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations on Sun., after a video showed clashes in the centre of the city of Kherson on Sat. evening. The Russian-installed administration in the occupied city later claimed to have "destroyed" a group of attackers, while Natalia Gumeniuk, the spokeswoman for the Ukrainian southern army command, claimed the video showed "provocations by the occupiers."
According to the US think tank, Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian military officials on Sat. confirmed the continuation of the Ukrainian interdiction campaign in Kherson Oblast. The claim has reportedly been corroborated by social media footage.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Experts have made it clear – the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant presents the threat of another Chernobyl. Nuclear disaster has, miraculously, been avoided so far, but continuing risks the safety and effectiveness of staff to control the reactors could have catastrophic consequences.
Establishment-critical narrative
Although Zaporizhzhia's cooling systems will be relatively vulnerable due to their contact with the outside world, the worst-case scenario would only cause severe damage at a local level. Both Russia and Ukraine are over stating the risk of nuclear catastrophe to galvanize domestic support for the invasion and play upon Western fears to incentivize providing military and public support respectively.
Nerd narrative
There is a 5% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
