On March 7, all over Belarus, radiation monitoring stations were temporarily disconnected. This was announced on the LRT TV channel by the head of the Center for Radiological Safety of Lithuania, Julius Zhilyukas.
On this day, the channel’s website writes, “information about the failure of the cooling system at the Ostrovets NPP”, which is located 50 km from Vilnius, appeared in the Telegram channels of Belarus. The Belarusian authorities deny that there was any incident. The State Atomic Energy Inspectorate of Lithuania (VATESI) was informed from Minsk that the level of radiation in the country was “within normal limits.”
“In the middle of the day on March 7, the stations were disconnected from the network (as it was after the explosion at the test site in Russia, – ed.). We cannot say what the problem is, we do not know. But the stations were switched on again later and showed a normal background radiation, “Zhilyukas said.
He added that “photos of people who themselves measured the level of radiation appeared on social networks, but there was no official data.”
See also: The explosion of the “Petrel” rocket: a map of the probable dispersion of nuclides has appeared
According to the official, there were no such cases before when monitoring stations in Belarus were turned off. He clarified that the east wind was blowing that day and “a surge of radiation in Lithuania was not recorded.”
The VATESI press service writes that it has repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus with a request to provide information on a possible release of radiation in the event of a serious nuclear accident. The head of this structure, Mikhailas Demchenka, said that “Belarus’s delay in providing the requested information can be considered as a failure of the country to fulfill its obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety.”
The first reactor of the nuclear power plant was launched in November 2020. Since then, several emergencies have occurred at the power unit. Lithuania believes that the plant, funded by the Kremlin and built by Russian Rosatom, is “unsafe and built in violation of international safety standards.” Minsk and Moscow deny all charges.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
