More than three decades after starring in the worst nuclear accident in history, Chernobyl is once again a focus of international alarm after becoming the key area of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The amount of radioactive materials released by the Vladimir Illich Lenin nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in 1986 after the explosion of its number four reactor was 400 times greater than the bombing of Hiroshima. Currently, Chernobyl is known as a ghost town, because radiation levels persist and are dangerous for anyone who approaches the site without strict security measures.
Chernobyl is located north of the Ukrainian border, just 17 kilometers away from Belarus, a country allied with Russia. The territory, which previously belonged to the Soviet Union, is threatened by an imminent Russian invasion. It is also the shortest and most direct route to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, which is 150 kilometers from Chernobyl.
The area surrounding Chernobyl, including the city of Prypyat, covers more than 2,500 square kilometers with high levels of contamination. The Red Forest is located 500 meters from the old nuclear plant and is one of the most toxic places in the world. However, Ukraine does not rule out a possible invasion.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s contaminated or if no one lives here. It is our territory, our country, and we must defend it,” Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Shakhraichuk, of the Ukrainian border guard service, told New York Times. But not only Ukraine has positioned the military to defend its borders. The United States, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also sent troops to Europe to respond to a Russian attack.
The alliance between Moscow and Minsk has increased tensions after the announcement of the arrival of Russian troops in “threatened areas” of Belarus and military bases on the western and southern borders of the country. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin explained that the Kremlin plans to send twelve advanced Su-35 fighters and two batteries of S-400 anti-aircraft systems.
Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, accused Ukraine of stationing troops near the border. “Don’t mess with us. It is impossible to defeat us. We are invincible because of our spirit and because of the territory that stretches from Brest to Vladivostok. Many have tried and failed,” Lukashenko said. “We do not want territory of other countries. We have enough already. We want to keep it and make it a better place. Those are our goals. Yes. I repeat it once more in case someone has not understood: they will regret it for a long time. It is not a threat, but a simple warning”. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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