Exclusion Zone Agency to try to restore radiation monitoring system at Chornobyl NPP after demining, other actions by AFU

The State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management will try to restore operation of an automated radiation monitoring system as soon as the Armed Forces of Ukraine complete the inspection and demining of the Exclusion Zone and allow the relevant specialists to work, head of the agency Yevhen Kramarenko has said.

"Currently, the radiation monitoring system of the Zone is not working. Until April 5, there is a curfew on the territory of the Chornobyl NPP site and nearby. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are working. After that, we are going to get there, establish the cause of failures in its operation and restore it," Kramarenko explained during briefing at the Media Center in Lviv.

According to him, the state of the radioactive waste storage facilities located at the Chornobyl NPP site is of the greatest concern now.

"Some 59 personnel constantly looked after the Chornobyl NPP site and claim that at present there are no dangers regarding the plant itself. But we do not know what happened at the radioactive waste storage facilities. They are no less dangerous than the Chornobyl nuclear power plant itself. Personnel were not allowed to them," the head of the agency said.

At the same time, he pointed out that the exclusion zone is heavily mined.

"After the Russian invaders left the zone, we observe a very large number of mines along the roads. There is a fact of blowing up our employee and the animals that live there. Now the Armed Forces are engaged in demining," Kramarenko commented.

As reported, Energoatom head Petro Kotin, during a long blackout of the Chornobyl NPP site due to shelling of power lines by the occupiers, emphasized that the main danger of this was the lack of power supply for spent nuclear fuel storage No. 1, where the fuel shipped from all Chornobyl power units is located, more than 20,000 fuel assemblies.