Thursday 28 March 2024 | 20:11

Yuri Voronezhcev: Show people the video of the accident at the Belarusian NPP

02.08.2016  |  Society   |  Aliaksei Jurych,  EuroBelarus
Yuri Voronezhcev: Show people the video of the accident at the Belarusian NPP

The state should act as follows: construction stops, public committee assembles, studies the incident, publishes a report, after which decides what to do with the nuclear power plant in future.

On July 25 there appeared information about another incident at the Belarusian NPP: during the installation the enclosure of the future reactor fell from the height of 2 – 4 meters at the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in Astravets (Hrodna region).

The Ministry of Energy has admitted that a contingency occurred at the building site of the Belarusian NPP. "According to the prime contractor Atombudexpart, the contingency occurred when the reactor was being moved horizontally,” claimed the Ministry of Energy.

Belarus has demanded ‘all the necessary documents and information’ from the prime contractor. The prime contractor (group of companies ASE) had announced that the information about the contingency was not true a few hours before the Ministry of Energy commented on it.

On Thursday Lithuania’s government handed a note to the Belarusian Embassy over the incident. Vilnius also asked Brussels for involvement of the European Union in the matter.

Physicist, Candidate of Technical Sciences, executive secretary of the Commission of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to address the causes of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and assess the actions of officials in the post-accident period Yuri Voronezhcev in an interview with the “EuroBelarus” Information Service commented upon the situation.

- "Atombudexpart" said that it was just the "paint that has worn off" from the body of the reactor. Can we judge about the nature of the emergency and the seriousness of the damage caused to the reactor according to official reports?

- According to this comment, "Atombudexpart" treats its clients as complete idiots. It is not the paint that the reactor is covered with, but a special multi-layer thick covering that is corrosion-resistant and resistant to radiation. If the paint has really worn off, you can just imagine the impact on the body of the reactor, which led to this.

- The same comment claims that Moscow has immediately summoned the staff, which determined roughly that the situation is nothing but regular and bears no threat. Can such things be determined at a distance?

- Of course not! It’s deja vu: in due time we will investigate both the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Chernobyl catastrophe, and its consequences – it all repeats. People are taken for idiots and are given absolutely absurd information. Remember what the authorities were saying after the accident in Chernobyl? There was a fire in the reactor – it had already been eliminated. One thing after another.

I don’t know what really happened at the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant; and you do not know, and 99,999 percent of the Belarusian citizens do not know that either. Although according to the Constitution, they have the right to know what has happened and what are the possible consequences.

- Rumors say that the official Minsk has no control over the construction of the nuclear power plant: since they turned to the general contractor for clarifications, they probably don’t know anything. How is this possible?

- Personally, I think that this is absolutely impossible. If the situation is really like that, then the government should immediately resign. It’s ridiculous that the country, which has suffered from an explosion at a similar plant, where all cancer clinics are overcrowded, is building the nuclear power plant and doesn’t know what’s going on at the construction site!

Belarusian authorities know exactly what happened; it’s just that the authorities are treating citizens as suckers.

- What should the administration of the Belarusian NPP, Belarusian authorities and the general contractor do now, after the state of emergency has already happened?

- Firstly, they must clearly inform their citizens of what actually happened and what are the consequences of this state of emergency.

Secondly, an independent commission should be created, which should include only one representative of a contractor and only one representative of the authorities, while all the rest should present absolutely independent experts, including international ones. The Commission should examine the situation on the ground, examine all the documents, watch all the video filming that is conducted on site, examine all the records of various services.

And the construction of the Belarusian NPP should be discontinued until the report of the public commission is published in the media. And it is only after the report is published that we need to decide what to do next, up to stopping the construction of the nuclear power plant, as the Russians did with the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, if something serious happened to the body of the reactor.

Other news section «Society»

What actually the State List of Historical and Cultural Values gives to Belarusan Heritage Sites?
What actually the State List of Historical and Cultural Values gives to Belarusan Heritage Sites?
The Belarus Committee of ICOMOS announces the collection of cases on the effectiveness of the State List of Historical and Cultural Values as a tool of the safeguarding the cultural monuments.
The right to heritage according to the standards of the Faro Convention: is it possible in Belarus?
The right to heritage according to the standards of the Faro Convention: is it possible in Belarus?
On March 27-28, the Belarus ICOMOS and the EuroBelarus held an online expert workshop on expanding opportunities for community participation in the governance of historical and cultural heritage.
“It is our big joint work”
“It is our big joint work”
It is impossible to change life in cities just in three years (the timeline of the “Agenda 50” campaign implementation). But changing the structure of relationships in local communities is possible.
The “Agenda 50” campaign was finalised by the Regional Development Forum
The “Agenda 50” campaign was finalised by the Regional Development Forum
The Forum was devoted not so much to the outputs as to the challenges and prospects after the creation and signing of local agendas.
Mikhail Matskevich: How to create a local agenda and make it a problem solving tool
Mikhail Matskevich: How to create a local agenda and make it a problem solving tool
To achieve changes, you need to be interested in them and stop pinning all hopes on the state.
“If a person cannot leave the apartment, he or she does not need an accessible Opera House”
“If a person cannot leave the apartment, he or she does not need an accessible Opera House”
In Stoubcy, they talked about universal design and conducted pilot monitoring of two urban sites accessibility.
Local agenda in Valożyn: mission accomplished
Local agenda in Valożyn: mission accomplished
"Specificity is different, but the priority is general." In Valożyn, a local strategy for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed.
How Ščučyn was proceeding towards the solution of problems of people with disabilities
How Ščučyn was proceeding towards the solution of problems of people with disabilities
The campaign "Agenda 50" was summed up in Ščučyn, and a local action plan for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed there.
A program to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities was designed in Stolin
A program to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities was designed in Stolin
The regional center has become the second city in Belarus where the local plan for the implementation of the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed.
“Agenda 50” in Belarus: from strategies to implementation
“Agenda 50” in Belarus: from strategies to implementation
Representatives of the campaign “Agenda 50” from five pilot cities discussed achievements in creating local agendas for implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In Stoubcy, a local action plan for the implementation of the Convention was signed
In Stoubcy, a local action plan for the implementation of the Convention was signed
It is noteworthy that out of the five pilot cities, Stoubcy was the last to join the campaign “Agenda 50”, but the first one to complete the preparation of the local agenda.
The monitoring of accessibility was presented in Stolin
The monitoring of accessibility was presented in Stolin
On May 28, the city hosted a presentation of the results of the project "Equal to Equal" which was dedicated to monitoring the barrier-free environment in the city.
“They think if the legs don’t function, neither functions the head.”
“They think if the legs don’t function, neither functions the head.”
In Babruysk, wheelchair users are fighting discrimination.
The real work of the Convention depends on all interested communities and organizations
The real work of the Convention depends on all interested communities and organizations
What results has the campaign "Agenda 50" given, what helps to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the regions?
The Convention is a fight against fears, barriers and stigmata
The Convention is a fight against fears, barriers and stigmata
Experts in Valožyn have determined that the quality of people’s life depends on their awareness.
The Convention should become a "living tool”, rather than remaining just an ordinary document
The Convention should become a "living tool”, rather than remaining just an ordinary document
On March 3, members of the campaign "Agenda 50" from different Belarusian cities met in Minsk. The campaign is aimed at the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The main thing is one’s personal motivation for full active life (PHOTOS)
The main thing is one’s personal motivation for full active life (PHOTOS)
There are being implemented three projects under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities campaign in the city of Babruysk.
One man does not make a team, but united we are able to do a lot
One man does not make a team, but united we are able to do a lot
In Ščučyn, people with disabilities learned to be leaders and to advocate their interests.
Barrier-free environment – it is not a ramp, but a means of independence (PHOTOS)
Barrier-free environment – it is not a ramp, but a means of independence (PHOTOS)
In Stolin, social organizations and local authorities are implementing a project aimed at independent living of persons with disabilities, and creating local agenda for the district.
Polish experts: We say “equality” and you say “inclusion”
Polish experts: We say “equality” and you say “inclusion”
Will creation of local agendas be an effective tool in ensuring rights of persons with disabilities in Belarus, just as it was in Poland?
Gintautas Mažeikis: The relation of political field and arena in the framework of information war

In his report, philosopher Gintautas Mažeikis discusses several concepts that have been a part of the European social and philosophical thought for quite a time.

“It is our big joint work”

It is impossible to change life in cities just in three years (the timeline of the “Agenda 50” campaign implementation). But changing the structure of relationships in local communities is possible.

Shhh! Belarus Wants You to Think It’s Turning Over a New Leaf

Minsk’s muddled media clampdown could jeopardize warming of relations with the West.

Mikhail Matskevich: How to create a local agenda and make it a problem solving tool

To achieve changes, you need to be interested in them and stop pinning all hopes on the state.