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Ukraine Reports Higher Chernobyl Radiation after Russians Capture Plant

An aerial view from a plane shows a New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during a tour to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine April 3, 2021. (Reuters)
An aerial view from a plane shows a New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during a tour to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine April 3, 2021. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Reports Higher Chernobyl Radiation after Russians Capture Plant

An aerial view from a plane shows a New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during a tour to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine April 3, 2021. (Reuters)
An aerial view from a plane shows a New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during a tour to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine April 3, 2021. (Reuters)

Ukraine said on Friday it had recorded increased radiation levels from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a day after the site was captured by Russian forces, due to military activity causing radioactive dust to rise into the air.

The former power plant was captured by Russian forces on Thursday after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Experts at Ukraine's state nuclear agency did not provide exact radiation levels but said the change was due to the movement of heavy military equipment in the area lifting radioactive dust into the air.

"Radiation starts to increase. It is not critical for Kyiv for the time being, but we are monitoring," the interior ministry said.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said on Friday that the critical infrastructure of the plant has not been damaged and essential maintenance work was ongoing.

The still-radioactive site of the 1986 nuclear disaster lies some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Kyiv.

Ukraine's neighbor Poland said it had not recorded any increase in radiation levels on its territory.

France-based independent nuclear watchdog CRIIRAD said in a statement Friday it was trying to verify and cross-check the information at their laboratory.

"If the dose rates recorded correspond to real values, the situation is extremely worrying," CRIIRAD said, adding that further research is needed to interpret the data.

The resuspension of soil from military activities, or damage to nuclear facilities, being either storage of waste or the containment structure, could be one of the reasons for the rise in radioactivity levels, CRIIRAD spokesperson Bruno Chareyron said.

Another possibility was that the readings were inaccurate as a result of interference from cyberattacks, he said.

The area has many high risk installations, including radioactive waste processing and storage facilities, most of them unsecured, CRIIRAD said.

Other reactors in Ukraine also pose a safety risk in case of an accident, the watchdog said. While it was possible to reduce the potential risk by shutting down the reactors, Ukraine depends on nuclear power for more than 50% of their electricity supply, it said.

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Gabbard Calls Signal Chats a ‘Mistake’ as Trump Officials Face Grilling over Leaked Military Plan

(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Gabbard Calls Signal Chats a ‘Mistake’ as Trump Officials Face Grilling over Leaked Military Plan

(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday it was a "mistake" for national security officials to discuss sensitive military plans on a group text chain that also included a journalist — a leak that has roiled President Donald Trump's national security leadership.

Speaking before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said the conversation included "candid and sensitive" information about military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. But as she told senators during testimony on Tuesday, she said the texts did not contain any classified information.

"It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added," Gabbard said.

Wednesday's hearing was called to discuss an updated report on national security threats facing the US Instead, much of the focus was on the text chain, which included Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was also added, and on Wednesday his publication released more details from the chats, showing the level of detail they offered about the strikes.

Democrats have demanded an investigation into the sloppy communication, saying it may have exposed sensitive military information that could have jeopardized the mission or put US service members at risk.

The National Security Council has said it will investigate the matter, which Trump on Tuesday downplayed as a "glitch." Goldberg said he received the Signal invitation from Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, who was in the group chat and has taken responsibility for the lapse.

Even though the texts contained detailed information on military actions, Gabbard, Ratcliffe and the White House have all said none of the information was classified — an assertion Democrats flatly rejected on Wednesday.

"You all know that's a lie," Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told Ratcliffe and Gabbard, who said that any decisions to classify or declassify military information falls to the secretary of defense.

Several Democrats on the panel said Hegseth should resign because of the leak.

"This is classified information. It’s a weapon system, as well as a sequence of strikes, as well as details of the operations," said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois. "He needs to resign immediately."

Ratcliffe defended his use of Signal as "appropriate" and said questions over the Signal leak have overshadowed the military operation targeting the Houthis.

"What is most important is that the mission was a remarkable success," he told lawmakers. "That’s what did happen, not what possibly could have happened."

The discussion at times grew heated as Ratcliffe and Democratic lawmakers spoke over one another. At one point, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, an Illinois Democrat, asked whether he knew whether Hegseth was drinking alcohol when he participated in the chat.

"I think that’s an offensive line of questioning," Ratcliffe angrily replied. "The answer is no."

Ratcliffe and Gomez then began shouting over each other as Gomez sought to ask a follow-up question. "We want to know if his performance is compromised," Gomez said.

Wednesday's hearing was called to discuss the intelligence community's annual report on threats to American national security. The report lists China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as strategic adversaries, and notes that drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations pose other threats to Americans.

The presentations from top Trump appointees reflect Trump's foreign policy priorities, including a focus on combating the flow of fentanyl, illegal immigration and human trafficking, and are taking place as Trump attempts to work out a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine three years after Russia's invasion.