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Chernobyl Zone Now Under Military Control
It has been 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in Ukraine. Russia's invasion has brought new disaster to the area.
The zone around the old reactor is now controlled by the army. It acts as a security belt during the war.
In February 2025 a Russian drone hit and damaged the shelter built over the destroyed reactor. This raised new safety fears about nuclear risk.
Before the war up to 70,000 tourists visited the zone each year. Those visits stopped when Russia invaded in February 2022.
Plans have been proposed to bring money into the zone. But those plans cannot move forward while the army is in control.
The war has pushed people out of a region already marked by decades of nuclear harm.
Klear Note — Chernobyl had the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. The area remains unsafe due to radiation. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, making the zone a war area.
Key Terms 4
- Chernobyl meltdown
- A 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine that spread dangerous radiation across Europe
- Exclusion Zone
- A restricted area around Chernobyl kept empty due to nuclear contamination
- New Safe Confinement
- A large steel shelter built over the destroyed Chernobyl reactor to contain radiation
- security belt
- An area controlled by the military to protect against enemy movement