Forest surrounding Chernobyl ablaze as Russia reports stable levels of radiation
There is a large forest fire burning in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, which have lead to heightened levels of radioactive air pollution, a Ukrainian official has warned.
There is a threat to neighbouring European countries, as there is more than 10,000 hectares of forest ablaze, according to commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for human rights, Lyudmila Denisova.
Around 31 fires have been recorded over the past two weeks, Denisova said, which she said were caused by Russian combat in the region.
The Ukrainian official has also called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to deploy firefighters and equipment to help tackle the blazes.
“Control and suppression of fires is impossible due to the capture of the exclusion zone by Russian troops. 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,” Denisova said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, also known as Rospotrebnadzor, said that radiation levels remain stable in Russia.