Russian shelling at Ukrainian nuclear plant risks 'another Chernobyl'
New ScientistAug 08, 2022
The UN's Security Council on Thurs. held an emergency meeting about the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – held by Russia since the first days of the war – after Russia and Ukraine traded blame for an attack on the plant that took place on Aug. 5. The Director Gen. of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, addressed the meeting, requesting access for safety inspectors from his organization "as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, late on Wed., pro-Russia separatists from the Donetsk People's Republic accused Ukrainian forces of striking a brewery in the city of Donetsk, held by the DPR since 2014. Officials said one person was killed and the strike triggered an ammonia leak. The brewery was reportedly engulfed in 600 square metres of fire after an ammonia supply line was hit.
Experts have made it clear – the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant presents the risk of another Chernobyl. Nuclear disaster has, miraculously, been avoided so far, but continuing risks to the safety and effectiveness of staff to control the reactors could have catastrophic consequences.
Although Zaporizhzhia's cooling systems will be relatively vulnerable due to their contact with the outside world, the worst case scenario would only cause serious damage to 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.
There's a 76% chance that Russia will control any formerly Ukrainian territories other than LNR, DNR, or Crimea on January 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.