Battle of Chernobyl

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For the 1920 battle during the Polish-Soviet War, see Battle of Czarnobyl (1920).
Battle of Chernobyl
Part of the Kyiv offensive and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Battle of Chernobyl (2022).png
A map of the Russian-occupied territory in Northern Ukraine following the Battle of Chernobyl
Date24 February 2022
Location
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Chernobyl and Pripyat)
51°16′N 30°13′E / 51.267°N 30.217°E / 51.267; 30.217Coordinates: 51°16′N 30°13′E / 51.267°N 30.217°E / 51.267; 30.217
Result

Russian victory

Belligerents
 Russia
Supported by:
Belarus Belarus[1]		  Ukraine
Units involved
 Russian Armed Forces
National Guard of Russia		  Ukrainian Armed Forces
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown 200 captured[2]

The Battle of Chernobyl was a military confrontation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, starting on 24 February 2022, during the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] Russian forces invading from the country of Belarus seized the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant area by the end of that day.[4][1][5] More than 300 people, 100 workers and 200 Ukrainian guards, have been trapped at the power plant since the Russians captured the site.[6]

Background[edit]

A security checkpoint in the Chernobyl zone, seen in 2010

During the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, large quantities of radioactive material were released from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant into the surrounding environment.[7] The area in a 30 kilometres (19 mi) radius surrounding the exploded reactor was evacuated and sealed off by Soviet authorities.[8]: 27 [9] This area was formalized as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and its boundaries have changed over time.[10] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, this area became part of newly independent Ukraine[11]: p.4–5 : p.49f.3  and was managed by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.[12]

Battle[edit]

In the afternoon of 24 February 2022, the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government announced that Russian forces had launched an attack to capture the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.[13] By the end of the day, the Ukrainian government further announced that Russian forces had captured Chernobyl and Pripyat.[14] Following the Russian capture of the exclusion zone, the American government announced "credible reports that Russian soldiers are currently holding the staff of the Chernobyl facilities hostage."[15]

The Associated Press reported that artillery shelling hit radioactive waste storage locations and an increase in radioactivity was observed.[16] However, the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated "there had been no casualties nor destruction at the industrial site."[17]

Reactions[edit]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russian capture of the zone a "declaration of war against the whole of Europe".[18]

Mykhailo Podoliyak, advisor to head of the President's Office of Ukraine, was quoted as saying that it was a "totally pointless attack",[5] and "the condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown".[19] However, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that there were "no casualties nor destruction at the industrial site" and that it was "of vital importance that the safe and secure operations of the nuclear facilities in that zone should not be affected or disrupted in any way."[17][20]

Analysis[edit]

The approach from Belarus via Chernobyl to Kyiv

In the greater picture of the Kyiv offensive, the capture of Chernobyl can be considered a waypoint for Russian troops advancing towards Kyiv. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the United States Army Europe, stated that the exclusion zone was "important because of where it sits... If Russian forces were attacking Kyiv from the north, Chernobyl is right there on the way." Former American Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia Evelyn Farkas said that the Russian forces "want to surround the capital" and that they "certainly don't want loose nuclear material floating around" in case of a Ukrainian insurgency.[21][22]

The Exclusion Zone is important for containing fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986; as such, Ukrainian interior affairs advisor Anton Herashchenko said that "if the occupiers' artillery strikes hit the nuclear waste storage facility, radioactive dust may cover the territories of Ukraine, Belarus and the EU countries".[18] According to the BBC, monitoring stations in the area reported a 20-fold increase in radiation levels, up to 65 µSv/h. Claire Corkhill of Sheffield University stated that the increase was localised and was due in part to "increased movement of people and vehicles in and around the Chernobyl zone [that] will have kicked up radioactive dust that's on the ground."[23]

Russian administration[edit]

On 9 March 2022, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed that since the power supply of the Chornobyl NPP was damaged, it lost power, and that the diesel generator backup systems only have enough fuel to support cooling operations for 48 hours, meaning that there would be danger of radiation leaks.[24] The risk is uncertain, on one hand Ukrainian officers have a precedent for making public communications in the hopes of involving other countries in the war,[25] on the other hand Russian military operations have already shown tolerance for producing nuclear risks when they caused a fire in the takeover of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.[26][27]

Russian spokesman Maria Zharkova claimed that the Russian National Guard was running a "joint operation" with local workers and surrendered Ukrainian soldiers to keep the containment operations of the Chernobyl NPP. [28]

The International Atomic Energy Agency released a statement expressing concern about the situation, but considering that the disconnection did not pose an immediate critical risk to the operations, considering that the large volumes of water allow for sufficient cooling without electricity. Nevertheless, the agency recognized that lack of electricity was likely to deteriorate radiation safety, specifically through the increased workload and stress on the 210 personnel working without rotations at the site. The IAEA has also expressed concern about the interruption of communications and the capacity of personnel to make decisions without undue pressure.[29] On 11 March 2022, it was reported that all contact was lost.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Coakley, Amanda. "Lukashenko Is Letting Putin Use Belarus to Attack Ukraine". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Ukraine war: Chernobyl workers' 12-day ordeal under Russian guard". Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ^ Reuters (24 February 2022). "Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces -Ukrainian official". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Chernobyl nuclear plant targeted as Russia invades Ukraine". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Russian forces seize Chernobyl nuclear power plant". BBC News. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Ukraine war: Chernobyl workers' 12-day ordeal under Russian guard". BBC News. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Chernobyl Nuclear Accident". International Atomic Energy Agency. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. ^ Marples, David R. (1988). The Social Impact of the Chernobyl Disaster. Introduction be Victor G. Snell. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-02432-1. LCCN 88018314. OCLC 489602767. OL 2041623M – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Ritzer, George; Atalay, Zeynep (1 March 2010). Readings in Globalization: Key Concepts and Major Debates. John Wiley & Sons. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-4051-3273-2. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  10. ^ Bondarkov, Mikhail D.; Oskolkov, Boris Ya.; Gaschak, Sergey P.; Kireev, Sergey I.; Maksimenko, Andrey M.; Proskura, Nikolai I.; Jannik, G. Timothy (2011). Environmental Radiation Monitoring in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – History and Results 25 Years After. US: Savannah River National Laboratory / Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.
  11. ^ Petryna, Adriana (2002). Life Exposed: Biological Citizens after Chernobyl. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-09019-1. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  12. ^ Economic Commission for Europe (17 December 1999). Environmental Performance Reviews: Ukraine – First Review. United Nations. p. 50. ISBN 978-92-1-004057-0. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Russian troops breach area near Chernobyl, adviser to Ukrainian minister says". Reuters. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces -Ukrainian official". Reuters. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  15. ^ Restuccia, Andrew (24 February 2022). "White House Calls for Release of Any Hostages at Chernobyl Site". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Chernobyl no-go zone targeted as Russia invades Ukraine". Associated Press. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  17. ^ a b "IAEA Director General Statement on the Situation in Ukraine". International Atomic Energy Agency. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  18. ^ a b Shabad, Rebecca (24 February 2022). "'This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe': Zelenskyy warns Russia is trying to seize Chernobyl". NBC News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  19. ^ Griffiths, Brent D. (24 February 2022). "Russian troops seize Chernobyl's remnants after a battle, risking Western efforts to contain one of the world's most radioactive sites". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  20. ^ Murphy, Francois (24 February 2022). "IAEA says Ukraine nuclear power plants running safely, no 'destruction' at Chernobyl". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  21. ^ Seitz-Wald, Alex (24 February 2022). "Why would Russia want to take Chernobyl?". NBC News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  22. ^ Mohammed, Arshad; Landay, Jonathan. "Explainer: Why Russia and Ukraine are fighting for Chernobyl disaster site". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  23. ^ Gill, Victoria (25 February 2022). "Chernobyl: Radiation spike at nuclear plant seized by Russian forces". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  24. ^ Kuleba, Dmytro [@DmytroKuleba] (9 March 2022). "The only electrical grid supplying the Chornobyl NPP and all its nuclear facilities occupied by Russian army is damaged. CNPP lost all electric supply. I call on the international community to urgently demand Russia to cease fire and allow repair units to restore power supply 1/2" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Zelensky's Zoom broadcast to Europe. 4 March ."If we fall you will fall, so don't [..] turn the blind eye on this." https://news.yahoo.com/zelensky-addresses-europe-fall-fall-205452225.html Archived 10 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Live updates: Russian troops shelling nuclear power station". Associated Press. 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  27. ^ Update 14 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine, Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA, 7 March, Vienna, Austria. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-14-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine Archived 10 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ https://tass.com/politics/1419025
  29. ^ Update 16 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine, Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA, 9 March, Vienna, Austria. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-16-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine Archived 13 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ "Latest Ukraine updates: UN stresses 'urgent' need for talks". Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
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