Analysis & Opinions - The Boston Globe

In Ukraine, There's No Second Chernobyl Disaster in the Making Yet

| Mar. 10, 2022

While there is reason for concern, there is no need for panic.

As the battle for Ukraine enters its third week, the specter of Chernobyl, site of world's worst nuclear accident, returns to haunt us. A few hours after the Russian invasion started, early on Feb. 24, the Russian military occupied the Chernobyl exclusion zone, some 30 kilometers in radius, that houses the decommissioned power plant, nuclear fuel storage, and nuclear waste facilities. On March 9, Ukraine's nuclear regulator informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Chernobyl power plant lost electricity and that the safe operation of the plant's cooling system was in danger.

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Budjeryn, Mariana.“In Ukraine, There's No Second Chernobyl Disaster in the Making Yet.” The Boston Globe, March 10, 2022.

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