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New Delhi, India
What if a tragedy similar to the Chernobyl disaster happens again in the near future, during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine?
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on April 26 in 1986. The accident happened at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union.
The tragedy was the result of a flawed reactor design that was apparently operated with inadequately trained personnel. The scale of destruction was massive and the accident is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history, both in terms of cost and casualties.
Reports have stated that two Chernobyl plant workers died due to the explosion on the night of the accident. In the aftermath, 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation syndrome.
As per the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, apart from some 5000 thyroid cancers (resulting in 15 fatalities), "there is no evidence of a major public health impact attributable to radiation exposure 20 years after the accident."
The fear of another nuclear disaster raised alarm from global leaders when fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces on Friday (March 4) resulted in a fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian emergency services said the fire had been extinguished but the plant was later seized by the Russian military.
The escalation of the conflict to nuclear threat is itself a matter of contemplation for the global leaders. Also to analyse what's Russian President Vladimir Putin planning next.
A nuclear expert told news agency Reuters that warfare near nuclear power plants is a "recipe for disaster."
If so, why did Putin's army attack the site?
Maria Rost Rublee, an expert in nuclear politics at Melbourne's Monash University said, "Unfortunately, we could be quite close to a catastrophe when you have active military operations, including shelling, missiles."
"When you have active nuclear power plants, it's just a recipe for disaster and all it takes is one missile that goes off," Rublee added.
Well, the way this Russian invasion has panned out, it's not that easy to understand what's going inside the mind of the Russian leader. Here are some of his evident demands:
What does Putin want?
Putin said that the invasion of Ukraine aims to disarm it and sever its ties to the NATO military alliance. Putin also stated that he wants to get rid of a "gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis that has settled in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people".
It looks like he wants to establish a loyalist regime in Ukraine led by a Russian.
IN PICS | What is the chain of command for potential Russian nuclear strikes?
Is he bluffing?
Western media had reported citing US intelligence officials that Putin's behaviour is an elaborate bluff, which means he is acting the part of the "madman" in order to confuse and disconcert the West.
But recent relentless missile attacks and bombings since he announced "military operations" in Ukraine, that caused massive loss of life and refugee crisis, is not a bluff.
What are Putin's territorial goals?
During a phone call between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron on March 3, the Russian leader said that he is committed to taking full control of Ukraine and "neutralising" the country. After the phone call, Macron warned that "the worst is yet to come."
Russia will strike at the information warfare and psychological operations centre of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and technological facilities of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in Kyiv.
Will sanctions stop the invasion?
Putin's actions led to global condemnation as several countries imposed sanctions on Moscow to cripple its economy and isolate it from the world. On one hand, the sanctions have impacted the Russian economy massively but the invasion continues to escalate.
What if Ukraine falls?
Although Ukraine has resisted Russian armed forces, but if Russia succeeds then the world will again face geopolitical tensions and militarisation the one witnessed during the Cold War the entire invasion episode might end up being one of the darkest chapters on modern European history.
WATCH | Here's a timeline of events since Putin ordered Russian invasion of Ukraine