News
Publish date: February 10, 2005
News
The Russian daily Trud reported on January 25 that the reactor storage pools at the Chernobyl plant are filled up with spent nuclear fuel rods what makes the plant even more dangerous. Another threat at the Chernobyl is the sarcophagus constructed around exploded unit no.4 as it can collapse any day. The beams B1, B2, and the roof, which were mounted in the extreme conditions, are hardly stable, as they were put on the half destroyed base by the crane operators-stalkers when radiation levels were extremely high.
There is no activity on erection of the wall, which could stop the gradual falling of the sarcophagus towards town Pripyat.
The Chernobyl plant director Alexander Smyshlayev explained the situation by the lack of specialists who could dismantle the equipment at the plant. Out of 3,700 people only a few specialists could do that he said, Trud reported. The Chernobyl plant again makes a great potential threat.
An accident aboard numerous Volgoneft oil tankers in the Kerch in mid December clearly show what can happen to aged ships when they are operated in bad weather—and when economic and military objectives are prioritized over the lives of crews and environmental safety.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
A visit last week by Vladimir Putin and a Kremlin entourage to Astana, Kazakhstan sought in part to put Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, on good footing with local officials.