Russia-Ukraine War: What motivated Russia to seize disused Chernobyl nuclear power plant?

After invading Ukraine on February 24, Russian forces moved quickly to seize control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, prompting warnings from Ukrainian officials about the possibility of an "ecological disaster" similar to the one that occurred there in 1986. According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces captured the location hours after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. The continuing activities around the plant where Europe's greatest nuclear disaster occurred in 1986 include radioactive waste management and storage, according to the State Specialized Enterprise Chernobyl NPP.

"Ukraine has informed the IAEA that 'unidentified armed forces' have taken control of all facilities of the State Specialized Enterprise Chornobyl NPP, located within the Exclusion Zone," the IAEA stated in a statement.

According to various media reports, the Ukrainian government and specialists have all offered different theories for why Russia acquired the site, including its threat worth, potential as a weapon for Ukraine, and location. Moscow has made no formal statement about its plans for the decommissioned nuclear power plant site. However, experts believe that Russia sought control of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor to send a message to NATO and other nations that they should not intervene militarily.

'Ecological Disaster'

The seizure triggered a chain of warnings from Ukrainian officials about the dangers of warfare near the site and Russian control of the site. The Russian control over Chornobyl NPP, according to Ukrainian officials, could result in an ecological disaster. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak expressed concern about the seizure, stating that it is "impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe" and that the seizure is "one of the most serious threats" in Europe, echoing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's tweet earlier Thursday.

According to a Ukrainian Interior Ministry consultant, Anton Gerashchenko, there are storage facilities for "unsafe nuclear radioactive waste" in the Chernobyl zone, according to the Washington Post. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry warned that capturing Chernobyl by Russian forces may result in "another ecological disaster" and a recurrence of the 1986 nuclear tragedy, which occurred roughly 60 miles north of Kyiv.

Stepping stone towards Kyiv left unprotected

Chernobyl was attacked, according to Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadym Prystaiko, because it was seen as a weak spot in Ukraine's defences. According to him, the zone is not protected since it is contaminated with radiation, and no one lives there. He further explained, "They now came through this particular unprotected part of our borders through the Russian territory."

Experts believe Chernobyl was taken because of its proximity to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a 2,600-square-kilometer (1,000-square-mile) zone of forest surrounding the shuttered plant, lies between the Belarus-Ukraine border and the Ukrainian capital.

So, if Russian forces are approaching from the north, from Belarus, and primarily from the Russian corner, the border between Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, they will pass through Chernobyl. So, basically, that's the path down and a stepping stone towards Kyiv.

Background

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred under Mikhail Gorbachev's presidency of the Soviet Union, and he has stated that the accident "was perhaps the real cause of the Soviet Union's collapse" rather than his policy to reform the economy and political system. On April 26, 1986, an explosion at Chernobyl's nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, damaged a reactor during a botched routine test. At least 28 people were killed in the blast, which was the world's worst nuclear disaster. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations, and the World Health Organization, some 4,000 individuals died from cancer after being exposed to high amounts of radiation, while another 5,000 perished from lower levels of radiation. 

Radiation was sent as far as the United Kingdom, which is almost 1,500 miles away from Ukraine. According to USA Today, more than two million people, including roughly 450,000 children, are still receiving medical observation, treatment, or support as a result of the 1986 explosion, according to statistics collected from the Ukrainian Health Ministry. Before the Chernobyl disaster, Gorbachev instituted a policy encouraging "openness" of ideas and expression, which, according to Slate, allowed citizens to become enraged at the government's slow response to the nuclear disaster, even if they had not previously questioned the government's competence.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP