In the early hours of April 26, 1986, a nuclear catastrophe occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located just 70 kilometers from the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, a disaster whose effects can still be observed today.
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor was one of the Soviet Union's most celebrated projects, capable of generating enough electricity to power approximately 30 million people. However, during a test conducted in Chernobyl in 1986, the entire nuclear project turned into a disaster. As a result of the accident, the radioactive material within the reactor core spread as far as the coast of the Black Sea in our country and across Europe. Millions of people were affected by the radioactive material. While many perished shortly after the Chernobyl incident due to exposure to radioactive material, in the following years, millions fell victim to deadly diseases like cancer, caused by the lingering radioactive residues.
Nuclear reactors operate by converting the enormous energy released from the fission of atomic nuclei into electrical energy. Uranium, due to its large nucleus, is used in nuclear power plants, as it is more susceptible to fission. When uranium nuclei begin to split, an uncontrollable chain reaction occurs, releasing a massive amount of energy. In Chernobyl, this energy was utilized by converting water into steam. The tremendous energy from the uranium's fission turns water into steam, which, in turn, powers the turbines through pressure, ultimately generating electricity. Unlike in coal-fired power plants, no toxic gases are emitted in this process.
The Chernobyl disaster began with a safety test on the night of April 25-26, 1986, in the number 4 RBMK reactor. The goal of the test was to measure how long the steam turbines would continue running in an emergency shutdown scenario. The reactor's power was reduced to as low as 200 megawatts for the test. Although Chief Engineer A. Akimov was instructed by Russian engineers that the power should not fall below 700 megawatts, A. Dyatlov, in charge at the time, ignored this advice. Akimov was aware that the boiling water reactors in Chernobyl became unstable and harder to control at low power levels.
At 01:23, the power of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor surged to 120 times the normal level. The temperature reached 4500 degrees Celsius, as hot as the sun. In response to this sudden problem, Akimov immediately pressed the reactor's shutdown button, the emergency button, but to no avail; in fact, it increased the pressure and temperature in the reactor. The increased pressure and temperature led to the explosion of the 1000-ton cap covering the reactor, which was blown off its place. With the cap gone, oxygen filled the reactor, reacting with the hydrogen inside, resulting in an even larger and more powerful explosion.
While the explosion was indeed a nuclear explosion, it was not as powerful as an atomic bomb. However, the devastation caused by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was greater due to the radioactive material it released into the environment. In an average atomic bomb, there is about 60 kilograms of uranium, whereas in Chernobyl, there were about 30 tons of uranium. What truly made Chernobyl a disaster was not the explosion itself, but the radioactive materials that spread to the atmosphere and across Europe as rain. According to the official report of the USSR in 1987, 31 people died in the Chernobyl accident. However, the exact death toll is still not known, with estimates ranging from about 4,000 to 93,000.
Immediately after the explosion, the first responders to the Chernobyl disaster were the firefighting teams. They were not adequately informed about nuclear and radioactive materials, and as a result, they were exposed to radioactive substances without realizing it. All firefighting personnel involved in the Chernobyl response died from radiation poisoning within a few weeks. Similarly, the civilian population in Pripyat, who observed the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, unknowingly suffered from radiation exposure, leading to their deaths within a few years.
36 hours after the disaster, the evacuation of the city began. It is now understood how delayed this action was. Approximately 350,000 people were evacuated from Pripyat, and the city became a ghost town. Initially, people were told that this situation was temporary, but those evacuated due to the Chernobyl disaster never returned to their homes.
Following the incident, all animals in the region that could potentially carry radioactive materials were gathered and culled. On the night of the explosion, civilians who gathered on the iron bridge overlooking the power plant to watch the ensuing fire and lights were unknowingly exposed to radiation. In the following years, many of these civilians died due to radiation and cancer-related causes, leading to the bridge being named "Bridge of Death."
During the explosion, the nuclear fuel inside the nuclear core melted and punctured the base of the reactor. The resulting nuclear residue combined with concrete and sand to form a highly hazardous shape known as the "Elephant's Foot." This substance was discovered by experts sent into the wreckage to prevent further leaks and explosions. Even after 33 years, the Elephant's Foot maintains its high temperature and continues to melt.
Soviet Attempts to Conceal the Disaster
In the aftermath of the disaster on the nights of April 25-26, 1986, the Ukrainian SSR, a member of the Soviet Union, attempted to conceal the magnitude of the catastrophe. They were unwilling to announce the Chernobyl accident, an event they took great pride in. It was even claimed that not even the Soviet Russia was aware of the incident, though under the circumstances of that time, this seems implausible. At the time of the Chernobyl disaster, the head of the Soviet Union, or rather the General Secretary of the Communist Party, was Mikhail Gorbachev.
The Chernobyl disaster was brought to international attention by the Scandinavian country, Sweden. After the accident, a radiation monitoring device at the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden reached an alarm level. Sweden went on alert, even though they had no leakage or other mishap. It was only after the United States took satellite photos of the exploded reactor, two days after the accident, that the USSR announced the Chernobyl disaster to the world and requested assistance.
The initial blame for the Chernobyl disaster was placed on technicians and engineers who did not follow procedures. Another theory regarding Chernobyl was the technical flaws in its design. Factors like earthquakes or attacks were overlooked in the construction, as suggested in published reports. Additionally, in the INSAG-7 report published in 1992, the reactor's design (control rods and safety systems, etc.) was held responsible for the accident. The exact cause of the Chernobyl disaster remains unclear, and debates regarding its origin persist.
Effects of Chernobyl
While the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in the city of Pripyat, which was under the Ukrainian SSR within the Communist system at the time, the affected area included the regions along the border of Belarus and Ukraine, along the Dnieper River. Belarus, accounting for about 60% of the contamination, was the most heavily affected country. There is clear evidence linking the increase in cancer cases to the Chernobyl disaster, and experts believe that the effects of Chernobyl are still ongoing.
Chernobyl Today - A Ghost
In 2016, a massive steel shield project was completed around Chernobyl to contain nuclear leakage for the next 100 years, with dismantling and cleanup activities underway. The enclosure of Chernobyl cost approximately two billion dollars, and the disposal of around 150 tons of nuclear waste is expected. The impact of the Chernobyl disaster exceeds that of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by 200 times. The Chernobyl reactor accident is considered the largest nuclear disaster in history to date.
Chernobyl's Mushroom
Following the disaster in Pripyat, altered plant species began to appear. Hemp was planted in the area to absorb the soil's radiation. Additionally, in the accident zone, mushroom species resistant to radioactive material emerged.
Valery Legasov
In 2011, the Ukrainian government claimed that the radiation levels had decreased to a safe level, and Pripyat city was opened to tourism. Today, the area experiences an influx of tourists, and recreational activities and parties in this region, which witnessed a great tragedy in the past, are subjects of controversy. It is believed that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster indirectly contributed to the collapse of the regime due to the cost of the disaster recovery efforts. Mikhail Gorbachev, the head of the Soviet Union at the time of the Chernobyl disaster, stated in 2006, "The nuclear pollution from Chernobyl was a factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union." Valery Legasov, a respected scientist who investigated the aftermath of the explosion, argued that inexperienced workers made mistakes on the night of the accident and also blamed the flaws in the design of Soviet RBMK-type nuclear reactors. Legasov's suicide two years after the disaster, along with the release of his audio recordings, revealed his beliefs. With Valery Legasov's suicide, the USSR admitted the fault of RBMK reactors. Subsequently, improvements were made to all reactors in the country. The effects of Chernobyl continue to persist today.
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