The radiation monitoring system and forest fire-fighting service of Ukraine have stopped working. As a result, Ukraine’s national nuclear corporation Energoatom warned on Monday that radiation levels surrounding the occupied Chernobyl nuclear reactor could rise.
Russian soldiers grabbed control of the area around the now-defunct power station that was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986 shortly after commencing an invasion on February 24.
As a result, Energoatom stated in a statement that the system monitoring radiation levels in the 30-kilometer (19-mile) so-called exclusion zone in the forests around the facility is presently down.
‘There is no data on the current condition of radiation pollution in the exclusion zone’s environment,’ it claimed, ‘making it hard to respond appropriately to risks.’
Seasonal forest fires, which are most common in the spring and summer, posed a particular concern, according to the report, because the zone’s forest fire department was unable to respond.
‘Radiation levels in the exclusion zone and beyond, encompassing not only Ukraine but also neighbouring nations,’ it said.
Despite the presence of Russian forces, Ukrainian workers at Chernobyl’s radioactive waste sites have continued to operate, despite fears of burnout because a new shift of workers could not be brought in.
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