Radiation levels at Chernobyl are rising: The environmental impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine

After Russian troops captured Chernobyl yesterday, scientists and environmental experts have warned about the potential ecological disaster that could unfold.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a statement that the former nuclear power plant, as well as the surrounding 30-kilometre Exclusion Zone, are now under armed Russian control.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukrainian “defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated.”

Chernobyl was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, after a reactor exploded and spread radioactive waste across Europe in April 1986.

In recent years the site has become a popular tourism spot, as well as an unexpected environmental success story as various species began to flourish in the region.

Today, radiation readings from Chernobyl are being reported as above average sparking global concern.

Data from the Exclusion Zone is currently showing increased levels of gamma radiation.

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said “control levels of gamma radiation dose rate have been exceeded at a significant number of observation points.”

However, they added, “it is currently impossible to establish the reasons for the change in the radiation background in the exclusion zone because of the occupation and military fight in this territory.”

Data from the automated radiation monitoring system of the exclusion zone, which is available online, indicate that the control levels of gamma radiation dose rate (red dots) have been exceeded at a significant number of observation points. pic.twitter.com/G4WEGgkMcT

Other experts have suggested that a spike in radiation is likely due to the soil being disturbed, rather