Are we safe from another Chornobyl?

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have caused a severe power deficit, plunging entire cities into blackouts. As thermal and hydroelectric plants have sustained heavy damage, nuclear power plants have become Ukraine’s most critical and reliable source of electricity. Today, they generate the majority of the country’s electricity. But as Russia targets substations connected to nuclear power plants and occupies facilities like the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the threat extends beyond outages. The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell visits both the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant to see how Ukraine’s nuclear system operates during wartime — and what risks come with that. The report also explains why the risks surrounding Chornobyl remain a global concern.

Correction: At 13:10, Balthazar Lindauer's title is Director of the Nuclear Safety Department at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

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00:00 Intro
00:43 Russia targets energy system
02:46 Nuclear becomes Ukraine’s lifeline
04:51 Support independent journalism in Ukraine
05:16 Inside Rivne Nuclear Power Plant
07:59 How nuclear power works
09:37 Inside the main control room
11:07 Breaking from Russian fuel
12:31 Are Ukraine’s plants safe?
26:17 Chornobyl during full-scale war
42:41 What’s at stake globally

Видео Are we safe from another Chornobyl? канала Kyiv Independent