Unlikely that Zaporizhzhya accident could trigger another Chernobyl say experts

The worsening security situation around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has understandably prompted fears that Europe could be on the brink of a nuclear accident on the scale of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, or perhaps even worse.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the Russian-held nuclear plant - Europe’s largest such facility - raising fears of a large-scale nuclear disaster that spreads radiation across Europe.

Just last week - echoing similar comments from UN secretary general Antonio Guterres - the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mariano Grossi warned that further escalation at the six-rector plant could lead to a severe nuclear accident with global consequences.

And whilst observers cautiously welcomed last week’s announcement (20^th August, 2022) that Russian officials are to grant UN inspectors access to the complex, Vladimir Putin’s refusal to demilitarise the plant means that tensions continue to grow.