The escalated conflict in Ukraine has led the country to strengthen the defense of nuclear power plants and chemical plants. The hot picture against the facilities has been around since the conflict broke out in 2014, but the country's government now judges that it has worsened.
Recently, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko announced that he has introduced state of emergency in Ukraine and that security has been strengthened at the country's nuclear power plant, hydroelectric power station and chemical plants.
According to the president, the measures depend on Russia now "testing the world order" by mobilizing large military forces to eastern Ukraine. Poroskoen therefore announced a 30-day state of emergency in the country where military guarding is reinforced at the vulnerable facilities.
Ukraine's nuclear power plants have been subjected to several attacks since the 2014 Russian conflict broke out.
Fired fires
There have also been fires in the areas that were contaminated following the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The fires entailed serious risks that radioactive smoke and ash would spread over large areas.
Jakob Hedenskog, at the Swedish Defense Forces Research Institute FOI, believes that the threats to nuclear power in Ukraine must be taken seriously and that they are part of the Russian warfare in the country.
But it is not always possible to deduce the attacks to the Russian state.
- There are different levels in that, there are actors who take their own initiatives to act in what you regard as the state's interests, he says.
But wouldn't a Russian attack on Russian nuclear power plants be able to fight back against themselves?
- Yes, but it is quite a big distance. Russia reason enough that you can extinguish the fire before it reaches the limit. But it is clear that an attack on a nuclear power plant can have far-reaching consequences, says Jakob Hedenskog.
Various studies of the consequences of attacks on nuclear power plants show that in the worst case it could lead to a meltdown similar to that in Chernobyl. The consequences are radioactive emissions, evacuation of residents and a large number of cancer cases.
Depending on the weather conditions, the radioactive waste can travel far and also affect other countries. At the Chernobyl disaster, large parts of Gävleborg's county were hit by radioactive waste.
The International Atomic Energy Agency The IAEA states that there are 31 nuclear-related facilities in Ukraine, of which 15 are operational nuclear power reactors. But also spent nuclear waste, military radioactive and industrial waste poses a risk in the event of attacks. In Ukraine, there are 500 such landfills and storage sites.
Only 20 miles from the front in eastern Ukraine, there are about one hundred storage sites of nuclear waste. All of these are above ground. Neither nuclear power plants nor nuclear waste storage facilities are built to withstand accidents or armed attacks.
Comments powered by CComment