Chernobyl radiation spike poses threat to ‘millions of Europeans’ as fires ‘sparked by Russian shells’ burn 25,000 acres

SPIKES in radiation from Chernobyl could pose a threat to “millions of Europeans” as wildfires reportedly caused by Russian shelling rage.

Some 31 fires in the exclusion zone have been recorded, which Ukrainian officials have warned could send radiation across much of Europe with “worldwide consequences”.

It’s understood some 25,000 acres of forest near the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant are burning.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk accused Russia of “irresponsible” acts around the occupied Chernobyl power station as she urged the United Nations to dispatch a mission to assess the risks.

The senior official said Russian forces were “militarising” the exclusion zone around the station, site of the world’s worst civil nuclear accident in 1986.

Russian forces, Vereshchuk said, were transporting large amounts of old and badly maintained weapons, creating a risk of damaging the containment vessel constructed around the station’s wrecked fourth reactor.

She claimed Russian forces were preventing firefighters from bringing large numbers of fires in the zone under control.

“In the context of nuclear safety, the irresponsible and unprofessional actions of Russian servicemen present a very serious threat not only to Ukraine but to hundreds of millions of Europeans,” Vereshchuk said on her Telegram account.

“We therefore demand that the U.N. Security Council adopt immediate measures to demilitarise the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl station as well as dispatching a special mission to eliminate the risks of any repeat of the Chernobyl accident resulting from the actions of Russian occupying forces.”

She said damage to the containment vessel, built with European financing, would “inevitably lead to the release in the atmosphere of a considerable amount of radioactive dust and contamination not only in Ukraine but also in other European countries”.

Russia was “ignoring these risks” by continuing to transport weapons in areas near the station, Vereshchuk claimed.

Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova warned an increased level of radioactive air pollution could threaten neighbouring countries.

“Control and suppression of fires is impossible due to the capture of the exclusion zone by Russian troops,” she wrote on Facebook.

“As a result of combustion, radionuclides are released into the atmosphere, which are transported by wind over long distances. This threatens radiation to Ukraine, Belarus and European countries.”

The politician warned that failing to intervene could see “irreparable consequences” for “the whole world”.

“Catastrophic consequences can be prevented only by immediate de-occupation of the territory by Russian troops,” Ms Denisova added.

“Therefore, I call on international human rights organisations to take all possible measures to increase pressure on the Russian Federation to end military aggression against Ukraine and de-occupy high-risk areas.”

Moscow has previously denied that its forces have put nuclear facilities inside Ukraine at risk.

Russia’s troops have set up a field camp and withdrawn as radioactive dust has made it impossible to conduct military operations,

Some military units are also withdrawing to Belarus to regroup.

The flames near Chernobyl could also engulf the nuclear fuel storage facilities and nuclear waste storage facilities, it has been warned.

Dry and windy weather will increase the intensity and area of the fires, which can lead to large-scale blazes.

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun said: “It isn’t possible to put out the fire now, as this territory isn’t controlled by Ukraine.

“We’re afraid that the fire will reach the nuclear power plant. The radiation level is already elevated.”

It comes after Russian forces fired rockets at a nuclear research facility in besieged Kharkiv.

Emine Dzheppar, Ukraine’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, warned it could lead to a major environmental disaster.

And workers at Chernobyl have been too tired to make safety repairs, raising the likelihood of a nuclear disaster, Ukraine warned earlier this month.

Employees had been forced to work relentlessly while at gun point and were not relieved for weeks.

Putin’s troops seized control of Chernobyl last month when they first invaded Ukraine.

Radiation levels surged beyond control levels as a result of the heavy military equipment rolling through.