Russian forces have taken control of the Chernobyl area. This was announced by the Ukrainian presidency, stating that now "it is impossible to say whether the nuclear power plant is safe".

The takeover of the plant came at the end of a violent fight. At the moment there is no news of any damage to the reactors, which are dormant in any case, or to the nuclear waste disposal site.

But the Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak, in wondering what kind of target could represent the central for the Russians in what is apparently a "senseless" attack, raises the alarm. "They may want to use the plant as a kind of weapon, it is one of the most serious threats in Europe".

According to Igor Novikov, former advisor to President Zelenski, the threat must be taken seriously. "On the territory of Ukraine there are 15 active nuclear reactors and nuclear waste in Chernobyl: a mortar round and everyone in Europe is facing a serious nuclear catastrophe, it's not just a Ukrainian issue it's a serious danger for all of Europe ", he said.

At the end of the fighting, the staff of the nuclear power plant were taken hostage by Russian troops, said Alyona Shevtsova, adviser to the command of the Ukrainian land forces. News that even Washington, expressing all its indignation, has defined "credible".

"We condemn and demand their immediate release," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that their kidnapping could hamper efforts to manage the facility.

THE STORY OF CHERNOBYL - It was April 26, 1986 when the world noticed Chernobyl, where it is estimated that there are still over 200 tons of radioactive waste (including corium, uranium and plutonium) buried inside the sarcophagus.

That night an explosion at reactor number 4 of the nuclear power plant caused the worst civil nuclear disaster in history, later joined by that of Fukushima in 2011.

Tons of radioactive waste were released into the atmosphere, causing thousands of deaths and diseases over time. Today Chernobyl is a ghost town, the only inhabitants are the workers who control "the monster", now taken hostage.

Reactor number 4, which 3 years ago was encased in a giant steel dome, a 36,000-ton protective shield called the New Safe Confinement, is expected to limit radioactive leaks for at least a century.

The IAEA - The International Atomic Energy Agency (Aiea) has called for "maximum restraint" to protect nuclear sites in Ukraine, for which it has expressed "grave concern".

The IAEA, reports BBC News online, says it was informed by its Ukrainian counterpart that while Russian forces took control of the former nuclear plant, no casualties or destruction were reported.

Director General Mariano Grossi said it was "of vital importance" that the operations of nuclear plants in the Chernobyl exclusion zone "are not altered or interrupted in any way".

(Unioneonline / L)

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