Fears grow of another Chernobyl as Putin ramps up attacks on Ukraine | World | News
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine stands as the most devastating nuclear incident in history, resulting in dire consequences for residents and the entire Soviet Union.
The disaster also caused radioactive materials to be detected in remote areas such as Sweden and Finland.
Although the initial explosion caused the immediate death of 31 plant workers, the prolonged health and environmental effects proved to be much more extensive; tens of thousands of deaths were attributed to cancer and diseases resulting from atomic fallout.
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to intensify, fears of possible attacks on nuclear facilities are growing.
Russia accused of targeting Chernobyl in February Express USA.
Earlier this year, Russia faced allegations of a drone attack with a high-explosive warhead on the former Chernobyl nuclear facility overnight.
The attack damaged the protective barrier built after the 1986 disaster to prevent additional radiation leaks similar to those previously witnessed.
Although Russia has denied culpability in the attack, the head of the IAEA, the UN-backed international atomic energy watchdog, issued a statement confirming that the attack caused a fire.
They described the attack, which took place in February 2025, as “an extremely concerning incident that underlines the ongoing risks to nuclear security during military conflict.”
Officials said the attack underlined that nuclear security remains under constant threat as the war continues.
Revisions to Chernobyl safety Thousands ultimately died due to the effects of radioactive material released from the Chernobyl explosion; many of these were under particularly appalling conditions.
In 2005, the UN estimated that an additional 4,000 people could die as a result of radiation exposure from Chernobyl.
The disaster was also the costliest in history, with an estimated price tag of up to $700 billion.
The explosion destroyed the facility’s nuclear reactor and exposed more than 600,000 “liquidators” to high radiation levels during the clean-up operation.
Many experts believe that a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl is extremely unlikely to occur again, as the RBMK reactors used in Chernobyl are rarely used today, and the permanent ones have undergone significant upgrades.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, “RBMK reactors do not have a concrete and steel dome, known as a containment structure, designed over the reactor to keep radiation inside the facility in the event of such an accident. As a result, radioactive elements such as plutonium, iodine, strontium and cesium were dispersed over a wide area.”
The World Nuclear Association says there are currently eight operational RBMKs, all located in Russia.
An additional reactor was under development in Russia: Kursk 5, but has since been shelved.
All operational RBMKs began operating between 1979 and 1990, the decade in which the disaster occurred. Following the Chernobyl disaster, Soviet safety standards underwent a significant revision.
While an RBMK (Smolensk 3) was built to these third-generation standards, additional design changes were incorporated into the Kursk 5 before it was cancelled.
What if a nuclear power plant was hit today?
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warns that the ongoing conflict poses a risk to nuclear power plants at Zaporizhia in Ukraine and Kursk in Russia.
The organization attaches great importance to the safety and security of nuclear power plants.
If one of these power plants were hit today, the consequences would be catastrophic; however, it is unlikely to reach the magnitude of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster due to the redesign of RMBK reactors and the implementation of strict safety measures since then.
