Chernobyl Roulette

On February 24, 2022, on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, enemy armored vehicles approached the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The Russian occupation of the plant began, which lasted for a long thirty-five days. The plant’s employees became hostages of the occupiers. They performed their duties around the clock, under constant pressure and the threat of death. Not only their own safety, but also the lives of many other people in Ukraine and beyond depended on their decisions. The choice they made, their dedication and determination saved the world from another nuclear disaster. Unfortunately, the threat of such a tragedy remains, because the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, is still under the control of the Russian occupiers. In this book, Serhiy Plokhiy combines the history of the Russian-Ukrainian war with the history of the Chernobyl zone to draw the world's attention to the danger posed by nuclear facilities during military conflicts. The history of the occupation of Chernobyl is not just a recent past, it is a warning for the future.