The mass bombing of Kyiv with all types of anti-aircraft and missile weapons available to the Russian Federation affected nuclear safety and security in Ukraine.
According to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, Russian shells hit the radioactive waste disposal site of the “Radon” branch in Kyiv. The personnel of the enterprise is in a shelter. It was impossible to assess the extent of the destruction (as of February 27, 2022, 01:20 Kyiv time).
“Currently, it is not possible to assess the extent of the damage. The automated radiation monitoring system failed to function. But CCTVs recorded falling shells. The radiation situation will be assessed by portable devices after the shelling abated,” the statement reads.
According to the preliminary assessment of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, there is no threat to the population outside the sanitary protection zone.
Photo by Edwin Hooper
On February 25, 2022, Ukrainian authorities had recorded increased radiation levels from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a day after the site was captured by Russian forces, due to military activity causing radioactive dust to rise into the air, reports Reuters.
As previously reported, the control levels of gamma radiation dose rate in the Exclusion zone were exceeded. Experts of the Ecocenter connect this with disturbance of the top layer of soil from movement of a large number of radio heavy military machinery through the Exclusion zone and increase of air pollution.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the radiation at the site did not pose any danger to the public. “The readings reported by the regulator – of up to 9.46 microSieverts per hour – are low and remain within the operational range measured in the Exclusion Zone since it was established,” the IAEA said.
Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi added it was of vital importance that the safe and secure operations of the zone’s nuclear facilities should not be affected or disrupted in any way.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said that the critical infrastructure of the plant has not been damaged and essential maintenance work was ongoing.
Ukraine’s neighbour Poland said it had not recorded any increase in radiation levels on its territory.
France-based independent nuclear watchdog CRIIRAD said in a statement it was trying to verify and cross-check the information at their laboratory. “If the dose rates recorded correspond to real values, the situation is extremely worrying,” CRIIRAD said, adding that further research is needed to interpret the data.
The resuspension of soil from military activities, or damage to nuclear facilities, being either storage of waste or the containment structure, could be one of the reasons for the rise in radioactivity levels, CRIIRAD spokesperson Bruno Chareyron said.
Another possibility was that the readings were inaccurate as a result of interference from cyberattacks, he said. The area has many high-risk installations, including radioactive waste processing and storage facilities, most of them unsecured, CRIIRAD said.
Other reactors in Ukraine also pose a safety risk in case of an accident, the watchdog said. While it was possible to reduce the potential risk by shutting down the reactors, Ukraine depends on nuclear power for more than 50% of their electricity supply, it said.