Elevated levels of radioactivity in Chernobyl were announced by the Ukrainian nuclear energy service, after the occupation of the nuclear power plant by the Russian forces that invaded Ukraine yesterday.
A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry denied the news, insisting that the radioactivity levels at the station were normal.
Earlier, Moscow announced that it would deploy paratroopers to protect the closed nuclear power plant from “terrorists”.
A Ukrainian official said yesterday that it was “impossible to say that the nuclear plant is safe” and described its occupation as “one of the most serious threats in Europe today”.
His representative White House, Jen Psakicomplained yesterday that the Russians are holding the staff of the facility hostage and demanded their immediate release.
“We are outraged by reports that Russian troops are currently holding Chernobyl personnel hostage,” he said.
An appeal for maximum self-restraint was also made by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy, says it is monitoring the situation in Ukraine with “grave concern”.
General Manager Mariano Grossi says it is “vital” that nuclear plant operations in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone “not be affected or interrupted in any way”.
Chernobyl, located north of Kiev near the border with Belarus, was the site of the most devastating nuclear explosion in history in 1986, when one of its four reactors exploded. The damaged reactor is covered by a steel sarcophagus, while an area of ​​more than 4,000 square kilometers around the facility has been abandoned.
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