The military situation on the ground has not changed significantly since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Russian forces are battling for control of a Capital Kyiv and continue to mass for renewed offensive operations. Meanwhile, it has increased aerial and artillery/rocket attacks on civilian positions and infrastructure, before moving its ground troops. The attack carried out by air, land, and sea on Ukraine has been devastating forcing many to flee the country.
Similarly, in an effort to disrupt the energy supply, Russian forces are assaulting the critical nuclear power plants in Ukraine. During the early days of attack, its troops stormed the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, already a site of nuclear disaster. The Chernobyl is located about 130 km north of the capital, Kyiv. The exclusion zone of a 32-km radius around the plant has remained uninhabited.
The disaster in then-Soviet Ukraine sent clouds of nuclear material across much of Europe in 1986 after a botched safety test in the fourth reactor of the atomic plant. The incident killed at least 30 people and spewed radioactive fallout over much of the Northern Hemisphere. While the plant’s three other reactors were all shut down by 2000 and it has since been decommissioned. However, as a worrying sign, the Russian attack on the nuclear plant has caused an increase in radiation levels.
In a series of mounting attacks on nuclear plants, Russian forces attacked Europe’s largest nuclear power of Zaporizhzhia. The nuclear power plant is in southeastern Ukraine near the city of Enerhodar, on the southern shore of the Kakhovka Reservoir on the Dnieper River. The Russian forces attacked the plant with heavy shelling causing a fire in the vicinity. Ultimately, a fire was put out by Ukraine’s firefighters and Russian forces tightened their control. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that radiation levels at the plant remained normal. Concurrently, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said artillery fire by Russian forces at the plant could have caused destruction equal to “six Chernobyls”.
However, the attack has triggered international concern about the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities. Ukraine is heavily dependent on nuclear energy – it has four main power plants, with 15 reactors, generating about 50% of its electricity.
Nevertheless, the statements by Russian leadership have sent tremors across the world. Just days before the attack on Ukraine, Russia, and its ally Belarus engaged in heavy nuclear exercises. In announcing the attack, Russian President Putin pointedly referred to his country’s standing as “one of the most powerful nuclear powers in the world”. He also threatened ominously that those who try “to hinder us” in Ukraine could face “consequences greater than any you have faced in history”
Simultaneously, anxieties over President Putin’s intentions were raised further when he ordered to put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert. In a direct threat to the West, Putin also warned that any “no-fly-zone” over Ukraine will be carried out by neighboring countries and Russia will consider it as participant in the conflict.
Although, experts believe that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has not entered the crucial stage where nuclear options can be considered. However, they’ve warned that sanctions by Western countries must focus on ending the conflict. They believe that if such measures cause a collapse of the Russian economy and threaten the survival of Russia, it can retaliate with a limited nuclear strike to demonstrate its resolve.
In parallel, many also fear that prolonged conflict will increase the chance of miscalculation, where one side may misinterpret the other causing conflict to get out of hand.
So far, Western governments have been careful not to further escalate either rhetoric or the action. The US military has its own defense readiness alert status known as Defcon, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said there was “no reason to change” its nuclear alert levels at the moment.
However, Russian attacks on nuclear power plants are being slammed in Western capitals as utterly irresponsible.
The continued conflict in Ukraine has also caused fear and anxiety among the common people across the world. Many who grew up listening to the stories of Cold war tensions and nuclear crisis fear that another such crisis is brewing as there are signs of prolonged conflict in Ukraine.
Many across the globe, especially European citizens who’re close to conflict regions have started preparing for any possible nuclear fallout. Without being caught surprisingly, people have rushed to buy necessary tools to ensure their survival. From stacking food and medical necessities to building a safe bunker has been the number one priority amongst common people.
We all know that during such a crisis, bomb shelters and bunkers are the only right option to ensure survival. Although in common conflict, bomb shelters help escape the enemy bombing, the case of nuclear conflict is different.
The radioactive radiation coming out after nuclear attack damages the environment, thus, contaminating the air. Therefore, nuclear bunkers are fitted with specific air filtrations tools to make the air breathable. Although there are a variety of air filtration systems in the market, few are up to standard. On top of the standard list is the NBC air filtration system. The most common and affordable type of NBC systems is Castellex Air350 and Castellex Air550 air filtration complete sets. An NBC air filtration system is useful to pump in air from the outside while filtering out all sorts of toxic matters such as biological, nuclear, and chemical contamination. The system comes with a 99.99% efficiency rate, designed to consume minimum power. Furthermore, the Castellex Air550 NBC air filtering system can pump clean air from the outdoors into a fallout shelter for up to 24 people. The system is a user-friendly application in times of crisis with international delivery and excellent customer service. Besides having additional features, Castellex Air Series NBC Filtration System makes sure that you and your loved ones will receive as much clean air as they need and ensure that you with your family stay safe.
