Few places are more awe-inspiring from Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Thus, the “alarm bell” sounded in the West when Russian forces occupied the decommissioned power plant in the early hours of their invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Why would Russia set a radioactive post-apocalyptic region as one of its first targets in Ukraine?
While the answer in its entirety may be known only to top officials in Moscow, the site happens to be one of the direct routes to Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. “The location is important because of its position “said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former U.S. Army commander in Europe, in an interview with NBC. “For an attack on Kiev from the north, Chernobyl is right there on the street, almost on the way.”
Chernobyl is less than 16 kilometers from Ukraine’s border with Belarus, Russia’s ally, where Moscow has mobilized troops in preparation for an attack. From there, it is a relatively straight road about 129 km south to Kiev. The route from Belarus to Kiev via Chernobyl may be particularly attractive to Russian troops because it would allow them to cross the Dnieper River in Belarus, avoiding a potentially dangerous crossing of the great river that divides Ukraine behind lines. “They want Chernobyl because they want to take control of the whole country “, said Evelyn Farkas, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia in the Obama administration. “They want to encircle the capital.”
Radioactivity in the area around the plant has declined in the decades since the disaster and studies have found thriving wildlife populations in the exclusion zone, despite soil contamination, according to the World Nuclear Union.
The recent fighting in the area this week could cause contaminated soil and other debris, raising concerns about the potential for harmful environmental effects that could spread far beyond the ground. Farka said that even if Russian President Vladimir Putin had no interest in the decommissioned plant itself, Moscow would like to secure the facility, especially with the possibility of a protracted battle with Ukrainian rebels if Russia invades the country. “They certainly do not want loose nuclear material to float,” he said. “They understand the danger there.”
The Soviet Union built the Chernobyl plant when it controlled Ukraine, and many see the 1986 disaster there as a factor in the fall of the former superpower a few years later. The intact reactors at the plant continued to generate energy for Ukraine until 2000, when the plant was permanently shut down. “It’s a useless property,” said a congressional aide who was briefed by U.S. officials. “But if you want to get to Kiev quickly, you are passing through Chernobyl “.
nbcnews.com
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