Until now, the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant could spiral out of control at any moment. Residents of Energodar are being asked to leave the city due to a possible threat of radiation leakage. Focus He learned what the probability of an accident at the nuclear power plant is and what is done to prevent it.
After the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, talking about the possibility of man-made disasters in the territories occupied by Russia no longer seems like a propaganda threat. Energodar’s first deputy mayor, Ivan Samoydyuk, points out that it is difficult to predict how the Russians might act in Energodar after the Russian-occupied dam burst on Kakhovka on the night of 6 June. And while not talking about the possible undermining of the individual structures of the station, he notes that there are already dangerous Russian military and ammunition depots on its territory: if the situation gets out of control, this can hardly be expected. invaders will give “corridors” to leave the civilian population. They no longer contribute to the evacuation from the flooded left bank of the Kherson area.
Why is nuclear control questionable in ZNPP?
The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the city of Energodar have been occupied since the first days of the war. The Russian army, its equipment and ammunition depots are located on the territory of the city and at the nuclear plant. From the areas around the station, the Russians are shelling the right bank of the Dnieper, and on the roofs of the reactor facilities of the nuclear power plant, realizing that there will be no response from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they equipped their firing positions. .
Experts say that the situation at the nuclear power plant in Energodar is steadily tense. And this is despite the fact that experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are always on duty there. Under their control, all six power units of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant were shut down.
However, the place where they talk about the danger is in the agency.
A few hours after the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam was blown up, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said, “There is no immediate risk to nuclear safety,” but expressed concern about the drop in the water level in the reservoir, where water is supplied to cool it. reactors. He then explained what could happen if the reactors are not cooled. “We don’t want to panic, but it’s serious because usually there should be a guaranteed amount of water circulating in these reactors. If you start to lose that ability, then you have a problem. The problem could be: It’s been delayed for a few days or weeks, but it will exist,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Energoatom claims that the situation in the Kakhovka reservoir does not pose a direct risk to the Zaporozhye NPP and that the staff has an action plan in case the level in the reservoir drops. “Even if it has no water in it, the project provides measures to replenish it,” says company president Petr Kotin.
From panic to rational explanations
“In terms of nuclear security, ZNPP is safe, but physical security is compromised. There are undoubtedly risks,” Gennady Ryabtsev, director of special projects at the Psyche Research and Development Center, told Focus.
He suggests that the Russians might first organize an information operation, not a physical radiation leak.
He adds, “Information provocation. Say something, shoot something and broadcast it in your media. This information will be focused on the Russian domestic audience. Now they are convincing the Russians that Ukraine broke the dam.” In fairness, I would like to say that in order to cause panic among the people – not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine, the Russians sometimes do not even need to make an effort. I recently read it on a Ukrainian telegram channel. The real nuclear danger as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. To find out more – you need to subscribe to the channel, and at the bottom there is also an appendix: “information from official sources”. We do not need special Russian operations through such channels But we must not forget: spreading panic among the people is a crime.
At the same time, Ryabtsev, referring to the words of Kotin, says that there is no danger of draining the pond of the cooling system – it currently contains almost 17 meters of water, and most importantly, it is not connected in any way. Kakhovka reservoir.
“There are other power sources, the pond is isolated. These are safety requirements. A separate system has been built to cool the reactors that are currently in operation and do not produce energy, therefore needing less water for cooling.” Adds experts.
But so far we are talking not only about technical problems or special information operations, but also about the actions of the Russian army living at the station. It is difficult to predict the state of nuclear and radiation security in the conditions of the occupation of the ZNPP by terrorists with weapons in their hands and the stay of illegitimate personnel from the Russian Federation.
Why is the Russian army destroying the occupied territories?
Igor resides in Energodar. He left before the large-scale invasion began, but his relatives remained in the city. in conversation with focus He notes that the energy industry has long recognized that all international safety systems implemented at nuclear power plants are no longer guaranteed.
“The station is ready to respond to various kinds of dangers, but not to an armed attack. Nobody knows what to do with a thousand armed soldiers and an arsenal of weapons. Of course, the Russians understand that no one will do that.” shoot the station And even if you dream, if they liberate the north of the Zaporozhye region, Energodar can be occupied for a while – with such an arsenal of weapons, the Russians can sit for a long time at the nuclear power plant. And Ukraine will supply electricity, transport food and medicine there, because we are talking about nuclear security “I have a feeling that Energodar will be one of the last places to be occupied. The ZNPP is their trump card in their hands. The last.”
But Igor draws attention to the statement of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine at the end of May.
“The Russians are capable of provocation in the ZNPP. GUR spoke of a controlled radiation leak. As a result, the Russians will certainly blame Ukraine for this. And this will be an attempt to stop the counterattack. I fully believe such a scenario. The Russians do not care if any area is contaminated, “or one day people will be able to live on these lands. This is not their land. People who have their homes and lands taken away and return there, behave like masters, not barbarians, as the Russians say everywhere. It’s not about them,” the Energodar resident continues.
He believes that it is beneficial for the Russian Federation that large industrial plants in Ukraine do not work, even if they have to leave Ukraine.
“Last year, the Russian Federation removed from the station everything that it could – documents, technologies. Igor recalls. – The equipment of the training center was also completely stolen. It was a joint project of Ukraine and the EU. The nuclear power plant will never work again. Olga Kosharnaya (Knowledge Director of the Association of the Ukrainian Nuclear Forum, – ed.) in one of the comments states that the Zaporizhzhya NPP may not be 90% He predicted with a probability of up to ‘. If it is not evacuated by the end of the summer, it will not be launched at all – it will not receive proper support during the occupation. A new nuclear power plant will have to be built on its basis. “
Immediately after the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station was blown up, Kosharnaya said that there was water in the cooling pool and there must have been mobile pumps nearby, purchased after the Fukushima accident, that needed to pump water from other sources. the pond loses water. But he suspects they were stolen like everything else.
Will human-made disasters be investigated?
Meanwhile, experts draw attention to the fact that the Russian Federation is preparing for possible man-made disasters, especially by undermining the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. On May 30, 2023, the Russian government passed a resolution imposing a five-year ban on investigations into persons in Ukraine’s occupied territory that Russia considers to be its own.
Therefore, experts are concerned that the Russians have already brought explosives to the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP and mined individual structures.
In addition, in this context, not only the ZNPP, but also the titanium factory in Armyansk in the occupied Crimea is in danger. It is also already mined by the Russians. As some experts suggest, another provocation is being prepared. The explosion could release thousands of tons of toxic substances into the air, affecting not only those living in Ukraine, but possibly Turkey and Russia as well.
Important
“When they are convinced, they will blow up everything they can reach,” convinced Gennady Ryabtsev, “They will not leave us whole and unharmed enterprises. On Titan, as in any enterprise, there are toxic substances, they are stored in the waste.” storage facilities”.
Recall that in August 2018 an accident occurred at the Titan factory, during which a toxic substance was released. Children were removed from the contaminated areas, and border guards at the Kalanchak checkpoint in the neighboring Kherson district were poisoned. Occupying authorities at the time said the emissions and evaporation were due to lack of heat and water. However, Ukrainian intelligence said that the accident occurred due to a bullet falling into the crankcase during military exercises.
Source: Focus
Bridger is a political journalist at 24 News Breaker, covering the Politics section with over 5 years of experience. Known for their detail-oriented reporting, Bridger delivers insightful and engaging analysis on political issues.