Our goal is to turn the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone into the Zone of Revival. This was stated by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine during a live broadcast of the National News Telethon.

Ruslan Strilets noted that the 1986 Chornobyl accident was the largest man-made disaster of the twentieth century. He stressed the global importance of continuing to study the environmental impact of the Chornobyl accident.

The Minister thanked the staff of the Exclusion Zone for their heroism during the 35-day occupation by russian troops in 2022. The russians destroyed and looted buildings and equipment in the Exclusion Zone, including scientific laboratory equipment worth more than EUR 6 million. With the support of international partners, the laboratory has already been partially restored.

During the occupation, the movement of russian heavy equipment in the Exclusion Zone resulted in slight exceedances of the permissible background radiation levels. After the de-occupation, Ukraine was able to quickly restore the radiation monitoring system. The situation is now fully under control and the radiation background is within normal limits.

“At every international event, we talk about russia’s nuclear terrorism: the consequences of the occupation of the Exclusion Zone and the risks associated with the seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia,” Ruslan Strelets said.

He reminded that the blowing up of the Kakhovka Reservoir dam by the russians was also an act of nuclear blackmail, as the uncontrolled release of water could disrupt the operation of the cooling systems of the ZNPP. According to Ruslan Strilets, a catastrophic scenario was avoided due to the spring floods, and the Kakhovka reservoir is almost 100% full.

Speaking to journalists, Minister Ruslan Strilets also reminded that as a result of russian aggression, Ukraine has become the most mined country in the world, and the total amount of environmental damage is already estimated at UAH 2 trillion. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, together with the Prosecutor General’s Office and international experts, is working to document russia’s environmental crimes in order to hold it accountable and seek compensation.