Smog over Kyiv poses no chemical and radiological threat. The radiation background in the capital and the region is within normal range and does not exceed natural background level, Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov and Head of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service Mykola Chechotkin reported to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Everything that is going on in Kyiv did not come from the Chornobyl zone. Some 90% of the dust was blown from Zhytomyr region. It is due to winds blowing in our direction and hitting Kyiv. Besides there was a windstorm around Kyiv yesterday,” Avakov said during a meeting with the president on Friday, according to the presidential press service.
Chechotkin also said that the smell of smoke in Kyiv is not connected with wildfires in the Chornobyl zone.
He said that stormy wind broke trees and caused blackouts in Zhytomyr region yesterday. During the morning on April 17, three new wildfires broke out in the regions. Also, peat bogs are burning and smoke can be smelled for several days.
“None of these spots pose threat either to the Confinement facility or the radioactive waste storage. The situation there is under control. Yes, we are facing difficulties, but we are looking for solutions to stop this,” Chechotkin said.
