Chernobyl expert warns of rising nuclear threats under Russian actions

Oleksandr Hryhorash, senior control inspector at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, emphasized in a conversation with the Polish Press Agency that the world is not responding adequately to Russian nuclear terror. The occupation of Ukrainian power plants by Russian forces and attacks on other nuclear facilities increase the risk of catastrophes.

Hryhorash reminded that the occupation of the Chernobyl plant by Russians in 2022 and the drone attack on the sarcophagus shielding the damaged reactor are acts of nuclear terrorism.

These are acts of nuclear terrorism. It is, in my opinion, caused by the very weak reaction of the international community to acts of nuclear terrorism committed by the Russian Federation, the inspector assessed, as cited by PAP.

The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 led to the contamination of many regions in Europe. In 2022, Russian forces entered the plant area, causing increased radiation levels. Hryhorash pointed out that Russians have been engaging with nuclear dangers since 2014, occupying, among others, the Sevastopol Institute for Nuclear Research. The inspector emphasized that the world's response to Russia's actions should be harsher.

If there had been an international reaction as provided in international conventions, including the Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, I think all of this would not have happened - Hryhorash said in a conversation with PAP.

On February 13, a Russian drone damaged the Chernobyl plant sarcophagus. Although the situation is under control, expert assessments are ongoing, and a repair plan is being developed. The new sarcophagus, implemented in 2019, was supposed to secure the site for 100 years.