Posted on 04/09/2022 6:30:23 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
As the staging ground for an assault on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, one of the most toxic places on earth, was probably not the best choice. But that did not seem to bother the Russian generals who took over the site in the early stages of the war.
“We told them not to do it, that it was dangerous, but they ignored us,” Valeriy Simyonov, the chief safety engineer for the Chernobyl nuclear site, said in an interview.
Apparently undeterred by safety concerns, the Russian forces tramped about the grounds with bulldozers and tanks, digging trenches and bunkers — and exposing themselves to potentially harmful doses of radiation lingering beneath the surface.
(snip)
At just one site of extensive trenching a few hundred yards outside the town of Chernobyl, the Russian army had dug an elaborate maze of sunken walkways and bunkers. An abandoned armored personnel carrier sat nearby.
The soldiers had apparently camped out for weeks in the radioactive forest. While international nuclear safety experts say they have not confirmed any cases of radiation sickness among the soldiers, the cancers and other potential health problems associated with radiation exposure might not develop until decades later.
(snip)
In a particularly ill-advised action, a Russian soldier from a chemical, biological and nuclear protection unit picked up a source of cobalt-60 at one waste storage site with his bare hands, exposing himself to so much radiation in a few seconds that it went off the scales of a Geiger counter, Mr. Simyonov said. It was not clear what happened to the man, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Nope - they were only issued paper suits (with paper shoes to cover their bare feet), and brooms - no gloves, no masks, no respirators - they were expendable - even the plant manager had a radioactive waste pipe running a few inches under the floor of his desk. Often they had to clean out the waste with bare hands. When asked years later if they would the do it again, they all replied ‘yes, for the motherland’.
Not saying the story is “outlandish”. The story stands by itself as a testament to the times and the Russian callous disregard for radioactivity and people.
Paper suits are extremely fragile and that they were not replenished frequently. They were expected to all die, and they knew it. Home was a barracks in the same building.
Your factual approach won’t impress those FReepers who are unwilling to see the telltale signs of yet another NYT fearmongering article.
Here’s the old tried and true rule: when an article on a science subject fails to include any data, the writer is lying.
New rule: when the sole source of a claim is from the Ukraine government, they are lying.
Bullshit is strong with this one.
I do not know if this is the story that you are referring too... but it is an interesting read that may or may not be accurate.
https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/2011_825-07_Brown.pdf
Yes, the article that the thread is based on is an interesting read... but has the hallmarks of being a propaganda fluff piece.
MAYBE he evaporated.
Try signing that death certificate!!!
Have they wiped out their own FUTURE army???
Believe what you want. The fact of the matter is that the Russians rolled into Chernobyl with all guns blazing and stayed there for a month. You think those conscripts knew any better?
BTW, I post according to FR's rules and guidelines, so I'm not about to get dinged by the mod hammer just to keep you happy.
Good grief, the stupidity and denial of the obvious on this forum has grown strong.
It sure has.
He might well know what he is talking about, but, OTOH, did the NYT accurately quote him? Did they even speak to him? Or is this article just a bunch of lies? It is, after all The New York Times, and truth isn’t exactly their stong point.
There are some on here that will call this pure BS.
They are liars. All of them.
https://healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/news/2020/08/what-is-a-downwinder.php
Easy big guy. I have never been dinged for using a link to a story that was not behind a paywall. Was the link I included to the same story or not?
And it doesn’t even have the stench of the slimes on it.
As far as whether the story is plausible or not, parts of it obviously are. Good propaganda always has plausible elements and builds itself on a foundation of accepted stereotypes. It is the overall impression that matters. Given my experience drilling with our own military and working within a command structure... I am not really buying it. But you are free to believe whatever you want especially if it makes you feel better.
The greater risk in a prolonged electricity shut off, experts say, was that hydrogen generated by the spent fuel could accumulate and explode.
Except to deceive, why would the writer use the present tense ('say') to describe an event in the past? Here's the timeline:
9 March
The Chernobyl nuclear plant was disconnected from the electricity grid. The IAEA stated that it did not see a critical impact on safety as a result.
13 March
On 13 March Energoatom reported that transmission system operator Ukrenergo had at 18.38 succeeded in repairing a power line needed to restore external electricity supplies to Chernobyl.
14 March
At 16.45 local time the Chernobyl nuclear plant was reconnected to the national grid.
NYT still trying to milk an event from a month ago - to what purpose? To set up the new looming disaster - citing a "study" (conveniently unsourced) on a hydrogen explosion.
Do you enjoy being misled?
So you think there is room for misinterpretation there? Or that digging in, handling the dirt, and breathing the dust around Chernobyl for a month is perfectly healthy?
Have a conversation or go crawl back under your basement bedsheets.
Don't like the ugly truth, despite all photographs, satellite imagery and video to the contrary, just call it propaganda so that you can continue your fantasy that Putin is the good guy in this mess?
Ridiculous.
🤣🤣🤣
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