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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRussian forces 'fire rockets at SECOND nuclear facility'
Russian forces are firing rockets at a physics institute in the city of Kharkiv that contains nuclear material and a reactor which could lead to a 'large-scale ecological disaster' if hit, according to Ukraine's national security service.
The service said on Facebook on Sunday that the Russians were firing at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology from Grad launchers.
Missiles fired from Grad launchers do not have precise targeting, raising concern that one could damage the reactor and release deadly radiation across Europe.
The science institute houses the Neutron Source nuclear research facility and contains 37 nuclear fuel cells in its core, according Ukrainian foreign minister Emine Dzheppar.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10583203/Russian-forces-fire-rockets-SECOND-nuclear-facility-Kharkiv.html
Lovie777
(11,992 posts)dumbcat
(2,120 posts)or as the article says, " ,,, nuclear material and a reactor which could lead to a 'large-scale ecological disaster" in that office building?
That doesn't seem very bright.
dalton99a
(81,091 posts)femmedem
(8,190 posts)From the NYT:
The nuclear facility in Kharkiv is a small, subcritical reactor fueled by low-enriched uranium. The United States funded its construction in exchange for Ukraine giving up 500 pounds of highly enriched uranium, a main fuel of atom bombs. Being subcritical means the reactor cannot undergo a self-sustaining chain reaction in which uranium atoms break in two, producing bursts of energy and highly radioactive waste.
Such subcritical reactors are found at academic and research institutions all around the world, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Dr. Lyman said the small Kharkiv facility, according to a 2020 Ukraine safety report, has operated only intermittently. As a result, he said, it apparently would have accumulated few of the highly radioactive waste products that could cause environmental damage in disaster scenarios.
My guess, Dr. Lyman said, is that the quantity of waste thats accumulated is relatively low compared to any power reactor. If that assessment is correct, he added, it would greatly reduce the possibility of a radiological crisis no matter how badly the Russian troops had damaged the nuclear facility.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/06/world/ukraine-russia
LiberalArkie
(15,686 posts)via anyone else. The cut internet to all the reactors. My guess is the Ukraine is destined to be a radioactive wasteland border zone.