In Chernobyl, a hundred employees, “hostages” of the war, fear the worst

“Save our loved ones!”, “Ukraine does not need a second Chernobyl”. About 50 people demonstrated on Sunday in Slavutych, a small town near the famous nuclear power plant, where their relatives have been held since the start of the Russian offensive.

Since February 24, a hundred night shift technicians have been unable to leave the plant after the Russian army took it over. The day team was also not authorized to relieve them, explained their relatives, who requested anonymity.

Since then, the staff has tried to guarantee the maintenance of the site, which is now inactive and where on April 26, 1986 the worst nuclear accident in history took place. Russian soldiers surround him, the relatives explain.

“Our men are not only hostages, but also prisoners of a Russian concentration camp”denounces a woman with a serious face during the demonstration of Slavutychrecorded by a local television.

His relatives recount his hard day to day, as well as the risks that this situation represents for a plant, whose security, in his opinion, is largely compromised.

“Physically and morally, they are exhausted”explains the wife of a technician who can communicate with the outside through a fixed telephone. “They think that nobody thinks about them, neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian government”he adds.

Workers receive two meals a day consisting of “small portions, poorly prepared”. “You can take a shower, but without soap or shampoo”do not have access to medicines and sleep “on the floor, on desks or chairs”the Mint.

“Crazy”

In a statement, the CEO of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Raphael Grossistressed on Tuesday the “huge stress” and the lack of “need rest” of these technicians.

In the opinion of the Argentine official, this “endangers” one of the “pillars” of nuclear safety: staff must be able to make decisions “no undue pressure”.

Employees actually feel “on the front line if an accident occurs”, especially when the power lines that supply Chernobyl They remained without service for several days last week, explains an engineer from the plant.

The pool where the spent nuclear fuel is stored has “40% excess capacity” and all of the boosters are full, which violates the “nuclear safety rules”warns the expert, who attributes the situation to the Ukrainian direction of Chernobyl.

Contacted by AFP, the Ukrainian atomic agency could not respond to these accusations.

“There are no risks of explosion on the site”assures AFP Karine Herviodeputy director general of the French Institute from Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN).

Although Chernobyl had to resort to generators to keep the security systems running for several days, “Lasting loss of electrical power to the site is not [causaría] an accident”Unlike the central “working”Hervio adds.

But there are still risks linked to war, especially when the Russian army installed “a military base” at the Chernobyl site, says a close friend of a detained technician, who also worked at the plant.

“The strategy is brilliant from the military point of view. No one will launch a missile against Chernobyl.” to attack the Russian army, he explains. “But in the name of humanity, it’s crazy”.

The main risk for Chernobyl is the “human error”estimates the man, for whom the current situation already represents a “catastrophe” for the plant, with the presence of Russian soldiers who “they don’t know” the nature of the site.