19 March 2022 | New Scientist | 7News focus Ukraine invasion
THREE weeks into Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine, concerns are
growing about the safety of several
nuclear sites across the country.
But the risk of a serious incident
is thought to be low despite
Russian troops having disrupted
normal safety procedures. Simon
Middleburgh at Bangor University
in the UK says the circumstances
are serious and Russia’s actions in
regard to nuclear sites in Ukraine
have been “completely reckless”,
but that a significant radiation
release is unlikely.
Ukraine is home to Chernobyl,
the site of the infamous 1986
nuclear disaster, as well as four
operational nuclear plants and
a small reactor used for research.
The situation at Chernobyl has
been tense since the first day of
the invasion when Russian troops
seized the site. Scientific monitors
detected a local increase inradiation levels, which was put
down to Russian tanks disturbing
contaminated dust. Since then,
many radiation sensors around
the plant have been offline and
communications between plant
workers and regulators have been
sporadic at best.
Scientists who had been
working at the site were unable
to access their laboratories
because Russian troops controlled
the plant. One of these scientists,
who asked to remain anonymous,
told New Scientist on 14 March
that those staff remaining on
the site were doing their best
to maintain safety.
The International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) has
complained that workers have
been held in poor conditions
without the chance to be replaced
by new shifts. A power cut at
Chernobyl on 9 March meantit was impossible to actively cool
ponds containing nuclear waste.
Electrical lines were repaired and
power was due to be restored, but
the IAEA said on 15 March that the
lines had again been damaged by
the Russian military. It also warned
in a statement on 13 March that
staff were no longer carrying outrepair and maintenance of safety
equipment due to their “physical
and psychological fatigue”.
IAEA director general Rafael
Mariano Grossi called on Russia to
allow an international team access
to ensure safety. So far Russian
president Vladimir Putin hasn’t
accepted the request.
Ukraine also has fourRussian forces have threatened safety at nuclear power plants,
but a serious incident is considered unlikely, says Matthew SparkesUkraine’s nuclear peril
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Nuclear safetyoperational nuclear power plants.
These are of a newer design than
Chernobyl, known as VVER, that
is safer and easier to operate.
As New Scientist went to press,
the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power
plant, in the south of Ukraine,
is the only one under Russian
control, although forces are
closing in on others. The IAEA
reports that the Russian state
nuclear company Rosatom
now has 11 of its staff on site.
On 12 March, the Ukrainian
nuclear regulator informed
the IAEA that it believed Russia
was planning to take full and
permanent control of the plant,
which was later denied by Russia.
Middleburgh says it is
irresponsible for Russian forces to
interfere in the operation of these
plants. “It’s like throwing a friend
your car keys and just expecting
them to know where all the
buttons are,” he says. “As soon
as you start disrupting their safe
working practices and the ability
for them to get raw materials
and tools, that’s when incidents
start happening. Not necessarily
radiological incidents, but
people are going to start hurting
themselves. Bad health and safety
practices start creeping in.”
While the VVER reactors have
sophisticated safety systems that
will be a crucial crutch during any
period of upheaval, Middleburgh
says the less predictable
Chernobyl site is an outlier. “If
they don’t get a handle on things,
then I could conceivably see a
minor leak from Chernobyl. I don’t
think it would be major, but I can
see things going south,” he says.
Russia is strongly motivated to
avoid disaster. Prevailing winds
make it likely that any nuclear
incident in Ukraine would carry
the vast majority of the fallout
east, towards Russia.
The IAEA and Ukraine’s nuclear
regulator didn’t respond to a
request for an interview. ❚Satellite photo of the
Chernobyl site taken
on 10 March“ If they don’t get a handle
on things then I could
conceivably see a minor
leak from Chernobyl”