On August 4, 2022, a delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia visited the Chornobyl NPP.
Representatives of the Foreign Ministry, led by the recently appointed Chairman, Mr. Urmas Reinsalu, who during his first visit to Ukraine deemed it necessary to visit Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and familiarized with the state of affairs at ISF-2 site, visited the observation pavilion of the “Shelter” object, as well as the protective building No. 1, where during the Chornobyl NPP occupation, russian troops kept captured soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, along with the city of Pripyat and the locations of Russians in the “Red Forest”.
Urmas Reynsal saw with his own eyes the consequences of the actions of the invaders in the Chernobyl Zone.
Representatives of the country, which consistently provides Ukraine with tranches of military equipment and military aid and supports our country in its way to full membership in NATO, were informed in detail about the consequences of the occupiers’ actions, as well as the current situation at the enterprise’s site.
According to him, the Estonian government is concerned about the atrocities committed by the Russian army in the Exclusion Zone. So it was important for them to personally make sure that Ukraine controls the radiation background and the situation at the facilities of the Exclusion Zone.
This year, the situation in the Chornobyl exclusion zone due to Russia’s actions attracted the attention of the whole world. Russia tried to intimidate Ukraine and the world with nuclear blackmail. Due to the actions of the occupiers, the largest unique protected area of Ukraine – the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve – was also badly affected. About 12,000 hectares were destroyed by fire there. These are huge losses for flora and fauna. Currently, the Zone is still recovering from the dirty “hands” of Russia.
Oleksandr Krasnolutsky
During the visit, the Minister announced that Estonia as a country is very keen to cooperate with Ukraine, including on the legal responsibility of those individuals who took part in the organization of the aggression.
Urmas Reinsalu also met with the employees of the exclusion zone. 🤝The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia thanked them for their selfless work and courage.
Oleksandr Krasnolutsky, in turn, thanked Urmas Reynsal for comprehensive support of Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.
For reference: the occupation of the Chornobyl NPP lasted from February 24 to March 31, 2022. More than 300 persons were held hostage, including plant’s personnel, National Guard soldiers, and employees of the State Emergency Service. During this time, the actual staff shift lasted from 600 to 1000 hours.
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If you are planning or thinking about a trip to the zone, please check out our trips to Ukraine in 2023 and if you still have unanswered questions, feel free to get in touch!
Charlie Tango(https://contamination.zone)