From Germany, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection monitors the radioactive radiation at measuring points in the Ukraine and possible effects for Germany. After the fighting for the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the authorities cautiously gave the all-clear, everything is in the "normal range".
To the knowledge of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection - BFS for short - no radioactive radiation has escaped or reached Germany in the course of the hostilities surrounding the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Zaporizhia. "There is no evidence that radioactive substances could have been released in Ukraine," the Federal Office told the Funke media group. According to the BFS, all available radiological readings were "in the normal range".
"The BFS sees no acute danger of a release of radioactive substances, but shares the concern for the long-term safe operation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant," the Federal Office said. In Germany, the authority routinely measures natural radiation exposure. "If the radioactivity level measured at two neighboring measuring points exceeded a certain threshold value, a message would be triggered automatically."
In the event that radioactive substances reached Germany as a result of a release in a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, "the emergency measures would probably be limited to agriculture and the marketing of agricultural products," the Federal Office said, according to the report. According to the calculations of the BFS, "it is not to be expected that further measures to protect the population would be necessary".
The weather conditions are decisive for the spread of radioactive substances. According to the BFS, "in the past, the air masses from the Ukraine moved to Germany only on about 60 days a year - i.e. in 17 percent of the weather conditions".
The Zaporizhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine has come under fire twice in the past few days. Parts of the plant were damaged and a reactor had to be shut down. The nuclear power plant has been occupied by the Russian army since early March. The invading forces took control of the nuclear facility days after the attack on Ukraine began.
