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Russia/Ukraine/ex-USSR

The former Soviet Union was rocked by one of the world's worst environmental disasters on April 26, 1986, when Unit 4 at the Chernobyl reactor site exploded, sending a radioactive plume across the world. The former Soviet Union is still also the site of some of the world's worst radioactive contamination from its nuclear weapons program.

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Entries by admin (53)

Monday
Apr132020

Fire raging near Ukraine's Chernobyl poses radiation risk, say activists

Sunday
Apr122020

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone burning for eight days are now 'close' to exploded nuclear reactor amid new fears of radiation contamination

Saturday
Mar142020

Trump's Chernobyl

Thirty-four years ago in Moscow I watched the government mishandle a disaster. Why does it feel like it was just yesterday?

An Opinion piece in the New York Times, by , a member of the Editorial Board.

[Comment by Beyond Nuclear's radioactive waste specialist, Kevin Kamps:

While this Opinion piece makes compelling comparisons between the Chernobyl catastrophe and the coronavirus pandemic, many times when radioactive catastrophes like Chernobyl, and nuclear weapons risks, are used as metaphors, or figures of speech, they do so flippantly, while effectively ignorning or downplaying the actual risks of nuclear dangers. As but a few examples: during the Enron "meltdown" two decades ago, its stocks were described as "radioactive," as in the Washington Post; during the 2008 financial collapse, bundled subprime mortgages gone bad were compared to high-level radioactive waste when described as a "Yucca Mountain repository of bad debt," as on NPR; and radical power plays, breaking norms and traditions in Congress to force a bill or nominee through over minority opposition, are described as "going nuclear" or the "nuclear option," like starting a nuclear war. However, the literal risks and radioactive damage of all things nuclear, whether atomic reactors, radioactive waste, contamination, health impacts, nuclear weapons, etc. are rarely if ever reported by the mainstream media, despite all the metaphorical comparisons, for dramatic effect.]

Tuesday
Jul092019

Inside the new £1.3 billion 354ft tall structure that protects the world from Chernobyl's radiation more than 30 years after Reactor No. 4 exploded

Wednesday
May152019

The Chernobyl Podcast -- HBO

The Chernobyl Podcast accompanies the "Chernobyl" mini-series on HBO. The podcast features Peter Sagal (host of NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!," as well as the mini-series's creator, writer, and executive producer, Craig Mazin.

Here is the link to the podcast's official home page.

Here is the home page's write up:

The official podcast of the miniseries Chernobyl, from HBO and Sky. Join host Peter Sagal (NPR’s “Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!”) and series creator, writer and executive producer Craig Mazin after each episode as they discuss the true stories that shaped the scenes, themes and characters. Chernobyl airs Mondays at 9 PM on HBO and Tuesdays at 9 PM on Sky Atlantic. The Chernobyl Podcast is also available to stream on HBO NOW and HBO GO starting Monday, May 6 at 10 PM.

Here are links to the podcasts themselves:

Part 1 (May 6, 2019)

Part 2 (May 13, 2019)