Nuclear Power Plants in War Zones - A New Atomic Threat?

52’

Are nuclear power plants (NPP) safe in war torn Ukraine? Author Reinhart Brüning has exclusive access to the situation at three NPP: He is exclusively present at a secret exercise simulating a missile attack on a NPP. He as well gains first hand insights into the situation at Chernobyl during the Russian occupation. Zaporizhzhya is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Six of the 15 Ukrainian power plant units are located here. In an exclusive interview with Petro Kotin, the managing director of the company that operates all Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Reinhart Brüning learned to what extent the strict safety precautions of nuclear power are falling victim to the war. The research trip also led to Chernobyl. There, in April 1986, the most serious nuclear disaster to date occurred. A sarcophagus covered with sheet metal encased the accident reactor for protection. At the beginning of the war, Russian soldiers occupied Chernobyl and captured the staff working there. What had started as a normal night shift for the men and women turned into a long nightmare. It became the longest shift in the history of nuclear power. The medical director, Ludmilla Mikhailenko, tells of working under agony and pressure. And how struggling to keep the plant safe pushed everyone to their limits. The situation in Zaporizhzhya was and still is even more dramatic. Reporter Reinhart Brüning learned the thrilling story of Aleksandr Pintielin, who was on duty during the attack by the Russian military and only just managed to escape to safety from impacting shells. He then continued to work under the occupation while scouting for the Ukrainian military. After six months, he caught the eye of the military police. The conditions under which nuclear safety is struggled with daily in Ukraine and how the Pintielin family managed an adventurous escape are shown in this documentary.