Capture of Chernobyl

The Russian military occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and surrounding area, seized from Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

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Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant: A decommissioned nuclear power station in northern Ukraine, site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The plant was the central installation seized by Russian forces.
Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russia’s full-scale military assault on Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022. The occupation of Chernobyl began on the invasion’s first day.
International Atomic Energy Agency: The United Nations agency that promotes safe, secure, and peaceful uses of nuclear technology. The agency monitored nuclear-safety conditions and sought information during the occupation.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine and occupied by Russian forces in 2022. Its prolonged occupation contrasts with the shorter seizure of Chernobyl.
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: A restricted area established around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the 1986 disaster. Russian forces occupied the wider zone as well as the plant.
Belarus: A landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordering Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Russian forces advanced toward Chernobyl from Belarusian territory.
Nuclear safety: The prevention of nuclear accidents and the reduction of their consequences through technical and organizational measures. The occupation disrupted normal staffing and oversight at a sensitive nuclear site.
Battle of Enerhodar: The Russian assault on Enerhodar and the nearby Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in March 2022. It shows another way the invasion brought combat directly to a Ukrainian nuclear site.
Chernobyl New Safe Confinement: A steel arch enclosing the remains of reactor four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Its radioactive shelter became part of the occupied site’s vulnerable infrastructure.
Kyiv offensive: The Russian campaign to capture Kyiv during the opening phase of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Chernobyl route formed part of the northern approach toward Ukraine’s capital.