Chernobyl’s workers stole Russian fuel to stop leaks

CHERNOBYL safety staff told last night how they had to steal fuel from Russian troops to prevent another radioactive leak at the crippled nuclear power plant.

The site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster was taken over by Russian forces on the first day of the invasion in February, but was liberated last week.

While Chernobyl is no longer a working power station, its diesel generator is necessary for conditions in the reactor to be constantly monitored – without them, there is a high risk that further nuclear material could be released. Billions of pounds have been spent since the accident in 1986 to contain the contamination.

Workers at the site said teams from Russia’s atomic energy agency Rosatom were brought in after soldiers seized the plant.

Oleksandr Lobada, a radiation safety supervisor, told the BBC: ‘They wanted to know how the facility was managed. They wanted information about all the procedures, documents and operations.

‘I was scared because the questioning was constant, and sometimes forceful. If we had lost power, it could have been catastrophic. Radioactive material could have been released. The scale of it, you can well imagine.

‘I wasn’t scared for my life. I was scared about what would happen if I wasn’t there monitoring the plant. I was scared it would be a tragedy for humanity.’

Engineer Valeriy Semonov said staff scrambled to find fuel to keep the generator running, even resorting to stealing some from the Russians after power was cut off for three days.

‘We had to constantly negotiate with them, and try hard not to offend them, so that they allowed our personnel to manage the facility,’ he said.

Officials at Chernobyl said Russian soldiers looted what they could when they left, and also took 169 members of the Ukrainian national guard who were captured along with the power plant. ‘We were able to keep the site safe, but it’s upsetting that they took 169 of our military,’ said Mr Semonov.

Chernobyl’s staff said they believed the prisoners of war have been taken to Russia.

Meanwhile, drone footage released by the Ukrainians illustrates how Russian troops dug trenches in an area behind the plant known as the Red Forest – said to be one of the most radioactive locations in the world – and slept in them.

According to Ukraine’s staterun nuclear power agency, the Russian soldiers were exposed to ‘significant doses’ of radiation.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko visited Chernobyl last Friday with food and other supplies. He said: ‘Are we sure that tomorrow Russian troops cannot appear here [again]? My answer would be no. Putin is completely unpredictable.

‘And nuclear smoke is not limited by borders. It can reach Central Europe, and even Great Britain. The danger of nuclear contamination is very high while Russia continues this war.’

‘Without power, it could have been catastrophic’