It remains exciting around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The plant is currently in the hands of the Russians, who want to blow it up, according to Ukraine. Atomic physicist and professor emeritus Wim Turkenburg considers this possibility small, he says in BNR’s Boekestijn en De Wijk.
Atomic physicist Wim Turkenburg finds it “not credible” that the Russians want to blow up the power plant. If a disaster were to strike there, Russia would get very hurt with the troops occupying that part of the Ukraine. I find that unlikely, it’s also very difficult to cause a major disaster there.’
Listen here to the Boekestijn and De Wijk podcast: Nuclear threat to Zaporizhia
Yet it appears that Russia has removed troops from the nuclear power plant, says Rob de Wijk, founder of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies. “There are very few Russian troops in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. They are at a great distance, which is quite remarkable.’
If the Russians sabotage the power plant, there could be serious consequences. ‘The greatest risk is in the storage of radioactive waste in fuel rods. These are air-cooled and located in silos near the power stations. If there was a heavy bombardment, those shafts could open. Then there’s a giant radioactive cloud that floats somewhere depending on the wind.’
Chernobyl
Turkenburg doesn’t think it will result in a disaster like Chernobyl. “It may be more like a scenario like Fukushima. That people have to be evacuated up to ten or twenty kilometers away. And you get effects that are still noticeable up to a hundred or two hundred kilometers. Then you should think, for example, of food that maybe you don’t eat anymore, like spinach in the field.
In the Netherlands we need not fear, according to the nuclear physicist. “No, the Netherlands doesn’t notice it at all. The stories that the whole of Europe is under threat are nonsense indeed. On the Ukrainian side, unfortunately I have to say, too heavy and disastrous stories are being told.
Yes, the Netherlands no nothing? Ninth. The Netherlands notice nothing, so also stories that the whole of Europe is under threat. Which Zelensky? In the beginning she said, yeah, she really is a bitch, so too heavy stories get told, too disastrous stories still want. Yes, I have to say sadly, from the Ukrainian side I think.
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Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
