Russian ‘plotting disaster worse than Chernobyl’ next to ‘toxic reservoir’

  • Bookmark

    • Don’t miss a thing! Sign up to the Daily Star’s newsletter

    We have more newsletters

    Experts fear Russia may be plotting a disaster worse than Chernobyl after rigging up explosives at an industrial chemical plant.

    The chemical plant in Crimea is next to what has been described as a toxic lake reservoir, according to Ukrainian News outlets.

    Oleksandr Prokudin, the Ukraine-appointed head of the Kherson region's military administration, issued a warning that the explosion would cause a disaster worse than Chernobyl.

    READ MORE: Russian colonel claims Wagner mercenaries 'tortured and raped' Putin's own men

    Russia has been accused of targeting Ukrainian infrastructure ever since Vladimir Putin launched the "special military operation" on February 24, 2022.

    Earlier this week, Ukraine blamed Moscow for destroying a Soviet-era dam in Nova Kakhovka. However, Russian officials claim Ukraine sabotaged the dam.

    The destruction caused severe flooding, leaving thousands of residents in need of evacuation.

    According to Newsweek, military analyst Roman Svitan spoke about the Crimea Titan plant during an appearance on the Apostrophe TV news channel on Thursday (June 8).

    • Putin fuels WW3 fears with nuclear weapons deployment to Belarus next month

    He reportedly said the Russians could set off the explosives at the plant if they fear Ukrainian forces are prepared to attack.

    "The plant is already completely mined, including containers with acid, chlorine and reagents," Svitan said, according to a translation by the Kyiv Post.

    "They recently began to rig explosives there, because they saw the Armed Forces of Ukraine [AFU] could cross the Dnieper [River] and attack Armiansk….Blowing Crimean Titan up will have military expediency for the Russians, since chemical emissions can slow down the movement of the AFU."

    • Putin and 'body doubles' key differences are exposed by spook as he 'spots fakes'

    Prokudin also warned in a video on the social media app Telegram that the explosives would “release thousands of tons of toxic substances into the atmosphere” in an incident “worse than Chernobyl”.

    He said: “Residents of the Republic of Crimea and at least seven other Ukrainian regions will be affected, as well as Turkey [across the Black Sea] and the aggressor country itself."

    • Mexican soldiers line up cartel members and open fire in leaked security footage

    The plant is understood to have once been Eastern Europe’s largest manufacturer of titanium dioxide pigment, a chemical used in paint, sunscreen, medicines and food colouring.

    However, titanium dioxide was banned by the European Union last year for use as a food additive because of fears of it being possibly carcinogenic.

    For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

    • Chernobyl
    • Vladimir Putin
    • Military
    • Russia
    • Russia Ukraine war
    • Ukraine

    Source: Read Full Article