Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces - Ukrainian official

Some more on this from yesterday. Seems the nuclear waste storage wasn't destroyed but possibly damaged? Its so hard to say at the moment as I am seeing contradicting stories all over. Take it as you will.

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has already informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that all nuclear facilities in the exclusion zone were taken over by Russian forces.The agency did not inform the IAEA of  any destruction at the site . However, a Ukrainian official familiar with the situation at Chernobyl claimed that Russian shelling has damaged a radioactive waste repository, leading to a slight increase in radiation levels in the immediate area.IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said it is following the situation “with grave concern” and has called for “maximum restraint”  to avoid any action that may put Ukraine’s nuclear facilities at risk.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2022-02-25-russian-forces-capture-chernobyl-power-plant.html

Several articles from nuclear-news.net:

Increased radiation levels around Chernobyl probably due to military’s disturbance of soil around exclusion zone

Claire Corkhill, a professor of nuclear material degradation at the University of Sheffield in the U.K.,  wrote on Twitter  that the gamma radiation around the Chernoybl plant “looks to have increased by around 20 times compared with a few days ago.” However, caution should be taken “not to over-interpret at this stage,” she said.“This appears to be based on a single data point,” Corkhill added in a separate tweet. “What is intriguing is that the level of radiation has increased mostly around the main routes in and out of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, as well as the reactor. This would tend to suggest that increased movement of people or vehicles may have disturbed radioactive dust.”The highly radioactive fuel inside the Chernobyl reactor is buried deep beneath the defunct plant and is unlikely to be released unless the reactor is directly targeted, Corkhill said……

https://nuclear-news.net/2022/02/26/increased-radiation-levels-around-chernobyl-probably-due-to-militarys-disturbance-of-soil-around-exclusion-zone/


The Most Immediate Nuclear Danger in Ukraine Isn’t Chernobyl

……The most immediate nuclear danger, however, comes from Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. …………  the bigger risk comes from the potential for fighting around Ukraine’s four active nuclear power plants, which contain fifteen separate reactors and generated over half of the country’s electricity in 2020..

https://nuclear-news.net/2022/02/26/the-most-immediate-nuclear-danger-in-ukraine-isnt-chernobyl/


Russian forces now control Chernobyl, inviting speculation and uncertainty

Though the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations watchdog, reported that there have been “ no casualties nor destruction ” at Chernobyl, experts and the public are now at work attempting to understand the potential risks posed by the takeover. While some offer measured responses concerning the potential for human and ecological disaster, others express alarm. Many posit theories for why Russia sought to seize control of Chernobyl, including using the site as a base, for a potential act of terrorism, or for the symbolic “win” it may represent.

https://nuclear-news.net/2022/02/26/russian-forces-now-control-chernobyl-inviting-speculation-and-uncertainty/


Ukraine’s reactors – largest nuclear complex in Europe – IN DANGER

Reports are coming in showing elevated rates of radiation stirred up by the presence of troops, tanks and heavy equipment moving through the highly radioactively contaminated region, which is closed to regular human habitation. In April 2020, when a major wildfire consumed the area, radiation levels rose by 16 times.

https://nuclear-news.net/2022/02/26/ukraines-reactors-largest-nuclear-complex-in-europe-in-danger/

I have been periodically checking the radiation levels from the sensors around Chernobyl for the past couple of days. They all stopped reporting around midnight 25th February. The sensors are run by an organization called 'State Specialized Enterprise "Ecocenter"' or 'State agency of Ukraine for the management of the foreign zone' - I think. I'm pretty sure 'foreign' should be 'exclusion' but is lost in translation. The website is https://dazv.gov.ua/ or the translated version: https://dazv-gov-ua.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
The link to the radiation monitoring page/site is that to the bottom right, but it doesn't exist now. At least for now. It may come back. There is only really two reasons why the system stopped monitoring. Either some infrastructure has failed, either by accident or on purpose, or someone ordered it shut down. In the meantime I'm keeping my eye on the closest stations on the Radmon map. 

Good news!

It seems most of the radiation sensors in the Chernobyl exclusion zone have come back online and are reporting. Some are showing offline, especially around the reactors. It appears they were not reporting for about 3.5 days. The radiation levels are now back down to their pre-invasion levels (at least on the sensors that are reporting.)
https://www.saveecobot.com/en/radiation-maps#10/51.3054/30.1300/gamma/comp+cams+fire

All of the sensors in the exclusion zone are offline again.

IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (Update 16)

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-16-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine