Analysis & Opinions - The Guardian

Fears mount for safety of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors amid Russian invasion

| Feb. 25, 2022

Core meltdowns due to operational challenges cause concern even as direct strikes to facilities remain remote possibility

Concerns are mounting about the safety of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors and the possibility of an ecological disaster in the midst of the Russian invasion.

“There are contingencies but I doubt that these power plants have prepared for a full-scale invasion,” said Mariana Budjeryn, a Ukrainian research associate with Harvard University’s project on managing the atom. “In the middle of a large scale conflict, there’s a myriad of things that could happen, for which normal, even very robust, safety procedures at a nuclear power plant [would be insufficient].”

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: “Fears mount for safety of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors amid Russian invasion.” The Guardian, February 25, 2022.

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