Expert: 40 years after Chernobyl, world unprepared for new nuclear threats

This view was expressed by Oleksandr Hryhorash, head of the Chernobyl NPP’s operational control department, on the program “E Rozmova.”

According to him, the current state of the plant is a continuation of the events of 1986, not a new story: “This is a continuation of that story after 1986. Only, unlike those events, the Chernobyl plant is not generating electricity now, but consuming it.”

The expert emphasizes that the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant remains a potential threat as long as unorganized fuel-containing materials are located within the “Shelter” facility.

Hryhorash paid special attention to the events of 2022, when the plant was occupied by Russian troops. According to him, this was an unprecedented case. “It was an act of nuclear terrorism by the aggressor state of Russia. It is very sad that the international community reacted very weakly—or, one might say, did not react at all. In other words, this was a violation of the Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism,” Hryhorash noted.

He emphasized that the world was unprepared for such actions in the 21st century. Even international organizations lacked mechanisms to respond to such threats. “The world simply could not imagine that there would be a state that would so blatantly violate all existing international rules and requirements. And they were simply not prepared for this. As it turned out, even an organization like the IAEA was not prepared for such events. No one could have foreseen that nuclear facilities would be seized and shelled,” says Hryhorash

The expert believes that tougher accountability measures are needed. “We need a mechanism for automatically holding a country accountable that violates nuclear and radiation safety requirements—for example, by revoking its voting rights or expelling it from international organizations,” Hryhorash asserts.

He also recalled the critical moments at the start of the full-scale invasion, when there was a real threat of an accident. “The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant lost power, and at around 11 a.m., the plant was left without electricity. As per procedure, the diesel generators kicked in, and the plant ran on them for nearly six days,” recalls Hryhorash.

Despite all the risks, what impressed him most was the work of the Ukrainian specialists: “People, despite the stress they were under, kept working because they understood that it was their duty. And I didn’t hear a single word of objection or complaint from anyone.”

In conclusion, the expert emphasized that the lessons of Chernobyl have still not been learned. “Chernobyl is both our past and our future. Work on this plant will continue for at least another 100 years,” says the Chernobyl NPP representative.

In his opinion, the war in Ukraine could be the catalyst for changes in the global nuclear safety system—if the world finally learns its lesson.

As reported, April 26 marks the 40th anniversary of the largest man-made disaster in human history—the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

In 2022, following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant came under Russian occupation. The invaders remained in the Chernobyl zone for five weeks; as a result of their actions, the plant was left without power—which is essential for cooling spent fuel—on several occasions. The occupiers also disabled the Automated Radiation Monitoring System. According to the State Agency for the Management of the Exclusion Zone, the damage caused by the Russian occupation to the Exclusion Zone and the enterprises located there exceeded 100 million euros.

In addition, on February 14, 2025, a Russian strike drone carrying a high-explosive warhead struck the shelter of the destroyed Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. According to IAEA experts, the new safe confinement at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, damaged during the drone strike, lost key safety functions; however, its main structures and monitoring systems did not suffer irreversible damage.