Chornobyl scenario at Kursk Nuclear Plant cannot be ruled out, Ukrainian expert warns

KNPP has the same type of reactors as those operated at the Chornobyl NPP, increasing the possibility of a Chornobyl-like scenario, he explained.

"These are LWR reactors (Large Water Reactor - ed.). And we have seen the consequences of what happened at the Chornobyl plant," he said.

"In our previous conversations we talked about whether the Chornobyl scenario could be implemented at the Zaporizhzhya NPP. No, because it is a different type of reactor. Here the type of reactor is the same. And it is impossible to exclude the Chornobyl scenario here".

Humeniuk believes that the seizure of the KNPP is not the goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces incursion, as it is a complex process, and leaving the plant without proper maintenance could lead to potential damage or provocations.

"It is not enough to capture it, it must be operated. That's why I support you in saying that KNPP seizure cannot be a goal."

Situation at the Kursk NPP

A source in the General Staff, in a comment for The Economist, called the seizure of the Kursk NPP "unlikely." on Aug. 8., as it is necessary to advance 80 km from the border and withdraw larger forces.

"Without properly organized forces, it is possible to repeat the mistake that the Russians made north of Kyiv in 2022," he explained.

"We cut off their lines, and they became easy prey."

All men were removed from the station's security, leaving only female Russian Guard officers, a source of Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) Russian publication reported on Aug. 7.

Measures to strengthen Kursk NPP's security were announced immediately after. On Aug. 9, an employee of the station confirmed to Important Stories that the men from the Russian Guard were returned to service, and the entrances to the station were blocked.

According to the source of Important Stories, the NPP management recommended the employees to take vacations at their own expense and to evacuate the children. 

Shift workers left the NPP construction site on Aug. 7 - these are 10,000 construction workers who live in the nearby city of Kurchatov, with a population of 40,000.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time on Aug. 12 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were conducting an operation in Kursk Oblast.

He emphasized that the purpose of the operation was to liberate Ukraine's border areas from Russian troops, who regularly shelled Sumy Oblast.