Kiev, The Indonesia Post – Russian troops seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials said Thursday.
“It is impossible to say that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after an obscure attack by Russia,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian president’s office.
“This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today,” he said.
Ukrainian troops battled Russian troops on three sides on Thursday after Moscow invaded by land, sea and air in the biggest attack on a European country since World War II.
Russian troops gathered in Chernobyl’s “restricted zone” before advancing into Ukraine early Thursday, a Russian security source said.
Russia wants to take control of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor to give NATO a message not to interfere, the sources said.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred in Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union in 1986. A cloud of nuclear material enveloped much of Europe after a safety test failure at the plant’s fourth reactor.
Decades later, Chernobyl became a tourist site. About a week before the Russian invasion, the area was closed to tourists.
“Our fighters sacrificed their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Twitter moments before the plant was taken by Russia.
“This is a declaration of war against all of Europe.” (mhn/bbs)
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