The fears of locals with close links to Chernobyl have been realised it seems.
Concerns were growing on Thursday evening that Russian military forces had captured the still-radioactive site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
This morning, the Prime Minister of Ukraine confirmed that forces weren’t able to hold Russian troops back from the power plant.
Jim Kavanagh, who regularly travels to the area delivering supplies to local orphanages on behalf of the Chernobyl Children’s International charity, told The Way it is that it would be hugely significant, for the worst:
“They could issue all sort of threats by having it in their control”
Hear his conversation with our Sue Nunn on The Way It Is here:
The Chernobyl Children International CEO says she’s ‘deeply concerned’ that Russia’s taken control of the Chernobyl Nuclear site.
Adi Roche says she fears deadly radioactive contamination could be released again:
“We saw what the disaster did in 1986. We cannot allow more contamination to be re-released on the world”
Meanwhile Ukraine’s president has made another plea to western allies – saying “we are alone” in defending his country from Russian forces.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says nearly 140 civilians and soldiers died on the first day of Moscow’s military operation in his country.
There’s been more reports of explosions and sirens around the country’s capital, Kyiv and the UN’s estimating 100-thousand people have fled their homes.
Kilkenny man Kieran Brennan says the Ukrainian government could be toppled within hours and replaced with a pro-Russian regime.
The Retired Major General has been telling KCLR that he’s heard reports of Russian commandos taking control of significant areas near the capital:
“Obviously Putin intends taking over Kiev. And we’ve heard the phrase before ‘regime change’. That’s what this is all about”.
Hear his conversation with our Sue Nunn on The Way It Is here:
