Chernobil reactor sarcophagus

It happened on February 14 of this year. An explosive drone Shahed 136 Iranian manufacturing and possibly launched by Russia left a Huge “scar” In the confinement structure of the Chernobil reactor, considered one of the greatest features of modern engineering and designed to contain the radiation of the worst nuclear disaster in history. That steel dome seemed impenetrable, but nobody warned of A possible war conflict.

Two months later, the “wound” is still open.

The hole. As we said, the drone loaded with explosives hit the steel structure that covers the number four reactor of the Chernobil nuclear power plant, the same as exploded in 1986 unleashing the worst nuclear disaster in history. Although the attack did not cause radioactive leaks, it left a visible mark on the huge steel dome known as New Safe Confinementraising fears about the possibility that Russia will be willing to bring its war to one of the most dangerous places on the planet.

The Ukrainian authorities attributed the attack To Moscowwhich denied any responsibility, while in the area a large group of technicians who still They worked two months later To try to repair the damage. The aggression not only represented a direct threat to the environment, but also a geopolitical ghost: Chernobyl, a symbol of Soviet negligence, is once again placed in the center of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The urgency of restoring. The task before him is delicate. In fact, this was stated by the Minister of Environment, Svitlana Hrynchuk, who confirmed that the government works along with experts to return full functionality to this critical structure. Hrynchuk stressed that the priority is Preserve security nuclear and radiological “under any circumstance.”

The original catastrophe. In the background, something that “touches” the nation deeply. Chernobil was, and it remains, a open wound. On April 26, 1986, a failed test caused a Explosion in the reactor which released more than 100 radioactive isotopes on Europe. The city of Pripyat, which then housed almost 50,000 people, was evacuated the next day.

The surrounding area, today known as The exclusion zonebecame a ghost territory of enormous extension. The original sarcophagus, built with releasing after the accident, was sealed by the structure multinational of steel in 2016 with a cost of 2.2 billion dollarsa titanic effort destined to last at least a century. The shield, so far impenetrable, is now injured because of The modern war.

Russian invasion and occupation. On February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its large -scale invasion, its troops entered Ukraine from Belarus and they took Chernobil control The same day. The scene was immediate chaos: The employees evacuated the central while the director of the radioactive control agency, Sergey Kireev, was the last to leave the place.

Kireev himself told these days to the insider environment. Some of their subordinates stayed, and from areas with a telephone signal they helped the Ukrainian forces transmitting data on the invaders movement. At first, the Russians left staff alone, but they soon began to Confiscar Telephoneto prohibit meetings and loot offices, bedrooms and laboratories. Their behavior in the place, According to Kireevcompletely ignored the danger of the environment, traveling through high radiation areas and damaging critical monitoring facilities.

The radioactive legacy that does not end. The radioactive chernobil remains (iodine, strontium and cesium) are still present in the air and the ground, with average lives that extend for decades. As We have countedFlora and Fauna mutations persist as a silent reminder of the disaster.

After the occupation, when Kireev returned in April 2022, he found The fortified zonewith Ukrainian barricades, destroyed vehicles and dismantled offices. A laboratory, occupied by Russian troops, had been object of vandalism: destroyed computers, wondered cabinets, bullets on the walls. It was discovered that about 70 people They had been captured by the Russians and taken to Russia, where some still remain in captivity.

Challenging nuclear logic. The drone attack of February 14, 2024 occurred days before the third anniversary of the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky He published images of the impact. In them it was appreciated how a fireball and visible damage was generated in the protective structure.

Despite It was not recorded An increase in radiation levels, the fact that a nuclear site can become a military objective exposes the fragility of international agreements and the recklessness of a nuclear power. For Ukraine, Chernobil is not only a symbol of the past, but A living front. The attacked installation was built with the joint effort of dozens of countries, and its integrity was created a global responsibility.

The threat of Zaporiyia. Also We count these days. Hundreds of kilometers south, the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant (the largest in Europe) remains under Russian occupation. The accusations between Kyiv and Moscow for attacks on the plant have become frequent, while increasing concern for their safety (the United States also “claims”). Meanwhile, Zelensky He spared no words After the attack on Chernobil: “Russia is the only country in the world that attacks, occupies and uses nuclear centrals such as weapons of war. It is a terrorist threat to everyone.”

If you want also, the facts show that the modern war has reached the thresholds of the unthinkable. And in Chernobil, where history has already taught the consequences of human negligence, today it is feared that a single error can turn on another tragedy, this time, in the middle of crossfire.

Image | State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Adam Jones

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