Russian Soldiers Exposed to Radiation at Chernobyl
Disciplines
Nuclear Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
On 23 February 2022, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, announced Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine to put an end to Nazi ideology in Ukraine and stop the genocide of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine. The following day, 24 February 2022, Russia began its attack from three different fronts (North, South, and East). In the north, the Russians entered through Belarus towards Kyiv, the Capital of Ukraine. The Russian soldiers occupied the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and various areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Specifically, the Russian forces took control of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4, the same reactor that caused the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster. This accident released large amounts of radioactive materials into the environment that have been measured to outweigh that created by both atomic bombs released in Japan at the end of World War II. These high levels of radiation have made the area surrounding the site of the blast inhabitable and Ukraine has since designated an “Exclusion Zone” surrounding the site. This area, spanning 30 km around the plant, is only accessible for maintenance and work reasons and otherwise is uninhabited to prevent the public from exposure to the remaining radiation. The Russian soldiers set up their military equipment and troops on a campsite located just over 3 km from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4. This study collected information on radiation exposure to the Russian soldiers and compared them to the claims being made that over 70 soldiers were hospitalized for radiation exposure. The actions made by the soldiers during their occupation of Chernobyl were analyzed to support the claim that the soldiers were not exposed to enough radiation to develop acute symptoms. This study summarizes the Russian soldiers’ radiation doses and the corresponding level of radiation sickness.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Mechanical Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Eduardo Farfan
Russian Soldiers Exposed to Radiation at Chernobyl
On 23 February 2022, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, announced Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine to put an end to Nazi ideology in Ukraine and stop the genocide of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine. The following day, 24 February 2022, Russia began its attack from three different fronts (North, South, and East). In the north, the Russians entered through Belarus towards Kyiv, the Capital of Ukraine. The Russian soldiers occupied the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and various areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Specifically, the Russian forces took control of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4, the same reactor that caused the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster. This accident released large amounts of radioactive materials into the environment that have been measured to outweigh that created by both atomic bombs released in Japan at the end of World War II. These high levels of radiation have made the area surrounding the site of the blast inhabitable and Ukraine has since designated an “Exclusion Zone” surrounding the site. This area, spanning 30 km around the plant, is only accessible for maintenance and work reasons and otherwise is uninhabited to prevent the public from exposure to the remaining radiation. The Russian soldiers set up their military equipment and troops on a campsite located just over 3 km from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4. This study collected information on radiation exposure to the Russian soldiers and compared them to the claims being made that over 70 soldiers were hospitalized for radiation exposure. The actions made by the soldiers during their occupation of Chernobyl were analyzed to support the claim that the soldiers were not exposed to enough radiation to develop acute symptoms. This study summarizes the Russian soldiers’ radiation doses and the corresponding level of radiation sickness.