The area of actual physical damage caused by the Russian explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in June this year is larger than that caused by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This was stated by Oleksandr Ruvin, Director of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, in an exclusive interview with UNN.
"If we talk about actual physical destruction, then yes, it is bigger... Perhaps, in the current catastrophe caused by Russia, a larger territory was actually affected than the Chornobyl exclusion zone. We just hope that the consequences of the hydroelectric power plant explosion can be eliminated faster. It is possible to restore the hydroelectric power plant itself, the dam, water intake, and restore the previous conditions. I don't know if it will be in 5, 10 or 20 years, but it is possible. It is still impossible to live in the Chornobyl zone," said Mr. Ruvin.
The Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise clarified that there are certain nuances in the comparison due to the very specifics of the disasters.
"The stories are somewhat different. You can't live in the exclusion zone because of radiation, that is, there is a problem with the area itself. In the Kherson region and in the Kakhovka district, you can live, it is not prohibited, but there is nothing to live on: nothing grows, you cannot drink anything, you cannot eat. After the explosion, the water level below the dam flooded dozens of settlements, including all garbage dumps, sewers, communications, etc., and the lower reaches of the Dnipro River were polluted," added the Director of KFI.
At the same time, he noted that experts continue to monitor the dynamics of changes in the territories affected by the Russian occupiers' explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
"The expert commission has the results of dozens or even hundreds of water and soil samples from the affected areas. We are monitoring the dynamics of changes over time. We cannot disclose everything yet, but the work is very large-scale. This is important for the people who live there, in the context that when they can return to more normal living conditions, resume agriculture, crop production, etc. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant by the Russians will have a general impact on the nature of southern Ukraine. We need to know how to predict our rational actions," summarized Mr. Ruvin.