Originally published at: Russian forces attempting to seize Chernobyl | Boing Boing
…
6 Likes
The devs behind the Stalker game series (set in Chernobyl) have also condemned the invasion
13 Likes
It was that from the outset, even ignoring Chernobyl.
19 Likes
If there’s one piece of territory that maybe you wouldn’t mind ceding…
4 Likes
Achievement unlocked.
6 Likes
Yeah just no. The Russian military’s presence there dramatically increases the chances of stirring up a bunch of awful radioactive contaminants that will affect people throughout the Ukraine and the rest of Europe.
28 Likes
“This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe,” Zelensky said.
20 Likes
Speaking of which, even without radioactive waste in the picture a war of this scale is bound to send the planet a few steps back on meeting the climate goals. Those Russian tanks don’t run on sunshine.
23 Likes
Conversely, it presents an area to launch attacks from that people will be hesitant to shoot back at, at the risk of damaging the containment site.
21 Likes
Yikes. That sarcophagus arrangement seems fragile as hell. It was designed to stop gamma radiation, not to stop artillery shells.
19 Likes
Because it was assumed nobody would be reckless enough to shell it.
15 Likes
Had not thought of that. Wow, that is some evil strategizing.
14 Likes
It also shows how Putin has a profound lack of care about his own people, as it’s still considered risky to be there for long periods of time.
Stupid, stupid timeline.
27 Likes
Um, yeah, it’s not just tanks that need fuel…
11 Likes
Do you think Putin has been told he’s dying and thinks, “wtf, if I’m not around nobody else should be”?
6 Likes
No, I think he’s just an authoritarian asshole who is unhappy that former Soviet Republics and Eastern Bloc countries have joined NATO and the EU. Seizing a location like Chernobyl would send a strong message that he’s not fucking around and he can cause major nuclear damage without even having to shoot off a nuke.
26 Likes
And with the ability to shift the blame to those attacking his forces that were “securing and protecting the location”.
16 Likes
The World’s largest “dirty bomb” Chernobyl, what could possibly go wrong.
14 Likes
That wouldn’t even be my primary concern. Many people don’t realize that three out of the four reactors at Chernobyl remained in service well after the disaster and reactor #3 was still in operation as recently as December of 2000. The decommissioning operations for those reactors hasn’t been fully completed yet with plenty of radioactive material and spent fuel still on site. The long-term storage facility for the spent fuel rods is also within the exclusion zone and is probably not bomb-resistant.
18 Likes
