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A checkpoint at an entrance to the village near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, showing a warning sign and the radioactivity symbol
Image: Viktor Drachev/TASS/imago imagesImage: Viktor Drachev/TASS/imago images

Chernobyl

Chernobyl, Ukraine, was the site of a major nuclear disaster in 1986. When a systems test in a reactor there went out of control, the ensuing meltdown sent radioactive material across Europe.

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All Content on this topic

Ukraine Saporischschja Atomkraftwerk Feuer

Inside Zaporizhzhia — a nuclear plant in the midst of war

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fears of a nuclear accident have returned.
ConflictsDecember 14, 202452:04 min
Ballot paper for referendum

Kazakhstan votes on first nuclear plant construction

Kazakhstan is the world's top producer of uranium but has no nuclear plant of its own. Sunday's vote could change that.
PoliticsOctober 6, 2024
Spent nuclear fuel storage grounds at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia: How safe is the nuclear plant?

The International Atomic Energy Agency warned Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant was 'dangerously close to an accident.'
ScienceApril 16, 2024
Protesters' iconic yellow flag with a red smiling sun. It reads "Atomkraft? Nein Danke" (Nuclear power? No thanks!)

Will nuclear energy make a comeback in Germany?

Germany phased out nuclear energy in 2023, but some politicians are calling for new nuclear plants to be built.
PoliticsJanuary 28, 2024
Steam rises from four nuclear plant cool towers

Is nuclear energy the way to achieve climate goals?

A declaration to triple capacity at UN climate talks suggests a nuclear revival. Not everyone agrees.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 6, 2023
A security person stands in front of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Ukraine: What's the worst-case scenario for Zaporizhzhia?

Kyiv has warned that Russia might be planning detonations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. What could happen?
ConflictsJuly 5, 2023
A climber carrying a large rucksack and oxygen cylinders is seen in front of Mount Everest

Leaving the comfort zone: Extreme tourism on the rise

Extreme tourism, taking adrenaline junkies to places like former war zones and isolated jungles, is booming.
TravelJune 24, 20238 images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at press briefing in front of NATO and Ukrainian flags

Ukraine updates: China wants peace talks, Xi tells Zelenskyy

China said that it would send representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties to the conflict.
ConflictsApril 27, 2023
Ist Deutschlands Atomausstieg ein Fehler?

Is Germany's nuclear exit a mistake?

Was pulling out of nuclear energy in the middle of a global energy crisis a huge mistake?
Nature and EnvironmentApril 14, 202313:03 min
Construction work at the Fukushima nuclear plant

Fukushima fears aside, Japan still depends on nuclear power

The 2011 Fukushima disaster helped seal the fate of nuclear power in Japan, or so it seemed.
BusinessNovember 15, 2022
Russian letters in string lights

What would happen if a nuclear bomb was used in Ukraine?

Historic events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chernobyl and Fukushima, are only a rough guide to fallout from nuclear war.
ScienceNovember 14, 2022
Atomkraftwerke Isar 2 und Neckarwestheim sollen weiter betrieben werden.

Do we need nuclear energy to stop climate change?

Nuclear energy can be used to generate electricity without climate-damaging greenhouse gases. But there are also risks.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 28, 202207:45 min
Ukraine | Krieg | russische Panzer bei Tschernobyl

Ukrainians prepare for nuclear disaster near Chernobyl

People around the former power plant are prepping in case of a Russian attack.
ConflictsSeptember 17, 202203:03 min
the six reactors at the the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Russia could shutter Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The deteriorating situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine includes reports of shelling.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 18, 2022
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Russia's recent occupation of Chernobyl had been very dangerous.

Securing Chernobyl

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Russia's recent occupation of Chernobyl had been very dangerous.
ConflictsApril 27, 202202:46 min
Chernobyl nuclear power plant and giant protective dome built over the sarcophagus of the destroyed fourth reactor

IAEA, EU chide Russia on Chernobyl anniversary

Exactly 36 years after the meltdown in Chernobyl, conflict has rekindled concerns about safety at that site and others.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 26, 2022
A flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

How dangerous are attacks on Ukraine's nuclear plants?

Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia: Experts call for a more measured response to nuclear plant attacks.
PoliticsMarch 15, 2022
People offer their prayers to those killed in the world's second-largest nuclear disaster

Residents mark 11th anniversary of Fukushima disaster

Thousands of former residents of the towns around the nuclear facility gathered to offer their prayers.
PoliticsMarch 11, 2022
A soldier in front of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Chernobyl: What are the safety risks as war rages?

Workers are unable to rotate off shift, communications with the site are down and electricity has reportedly been lost.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 9, 2022
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Ukraine: Chernobyl nuclear plant off power grid

The decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear site has been knocked off the power grid and switched onto generators.
ConflictsMarch 9, 2022
Picture of helicopter spreading stuff to reduce contamination of radioactive elements

The risks of war in a nuclear state

What happens now that Ukraine's largest active nuclear power plant has been caught in the crossfire of the conflict?
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 4, 2022
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is seen in Enerhodar

Russia seizes Ukraine nuclear plant

Global leaders have reacted with dismay after fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces sparked a fire at the site.
ConflictsMarch 4, 2022
Ukrainian soldiers and tanks

Russians take Chernobyl ― What we know

Russia’s capture of the nuclear power plant raises safety concerns. Here’s a look into the facility.
ScienceFebruary 25, 2022
Doku KW 8 Tschernobyl

Moving to Chernobyl

In 2014 they fled the war in the east of Ukraine.
PoliticsFebruary 21, 202228:32 min
Portrait of a woman (Jeannette Cwienk) with blonde hair and wearing a scarf and gray blazer

The real cost of nuclear energy

Jeannette Cwienk
Nuclear power will soon be seen as environmentally friendly in the EU. But nothing about it is green or safe.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 21, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks in front of a sign that reads "nuclear" in French

Going nuclear: Should nations unilaterally decide?

As nations extend the life of ageing nuclear energy infrastructure, bordering countries have little say.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 6, 2022
Protesters play guitar amid a demonstration outside the Brokdorf power plant

Germany's long anti-nuclear protest ends

Activists have been protesting in front of the nuclear plant in Brokdorf for 35 years. Now, their vigil is finally over.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 29, 2021
TABLEAU | 35 Jahre Nuklearkatastrophe von Tschernobyl | Prypjat 2020

Imminent 'Chernobyl' of smart cities?

Urbanist Anthony Townsend explains the vulnerabilities and safety risks of smart city technology.
LifestyleDecember 3, 202102:02 min
A warning sign of nuclear radiation in the forest near Chernobyl

5 myths about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster

Monday marks the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. DW examines five myths surrounding the accident.
CatastropheApril 25, 2021
Russland Chemiefabrik in der Region Irkutsk

Earth Day, eco-TikTok and nuclear energy post-Chernobyl

In this episode of Living Planet, we hear about some of the different ways ordinary people relate to environmental issues in different parts of the world. Climate activists talk about using TikTok to reach Generation Z. And 35 years after the Chernobyl disaster, we'll hear how people in Russia and China view the future of nuclear energy.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 22, 202130:01 min
The nuclear power plant Biblis with a stop sign in the foreground

Fukushima triggered Germany's nuclear phaseout

The disaster shook the belief in safe nuclear power to its core. It also marked a historic environmental turning point.
PoliticsMarch 10, 2021
An explosion is seen at the Fukushima nuclear power plant on March 15, 2011

UN experts find 'no harmful effects' from Fukushima

Researchers found that the 2011 catastrophe had not harmed the locals' health or increased the risk of cancer.
CatastropheMarch 9, 2021
Inside Europe Teaser

Inside Europe: 06.08.2020

Ireland delays easing lockdown measures, but still allows in American tourists — Spain's former king Juan Carlos I mysteriously departs the country — German politicians slam Berlin protests against COVID-19 measures — First batch of tour guides graduate from Chernobyl University — Experts fear drug-related deaths in Scotland may be increasing — and more.
PoliticsAugust 6, 202055:00 min
A sign warning of radioactivity in Russia

'Slight' radioactivity rise in Nordic countries

The Netherlands says Nordic data points in the "direction of Western Russia."
Nature and EnvironmentJune 28, 2020
Ukraine Waldbrände

Blazes around Chernobyl - Ukraine and Climate Change

Ukrainians are facing forest fires near Chernobyl after the driest winter in a century.
SocietyMay 14, 202005:35 min
Forestry officers are seen at the site during a fire in Ragovka

Chernobyl fires still burning on anniversary of accident

As firefighters struggle to contain fires near Chernobyl, Ukraine marked the 34th anniversary of the nuclear disaster.
CatastropheApril 27, 2020
Ukraine Waldbrände bei Tschernobyl

Ukraine: Crews extinguish Chernobyl forest fire

Firefighters worked for 10 days to extinguish blazes that broke out in a forest near the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 14, 2020
Chernobyl forest fire

Ukraine: Chernobyl forest fires ablaze

Emergency units are trying to contain fires in radiation-contaminated forest near the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear plant.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 6, 2020
Chernobyl nuclear plant in 2006

Forest near Chernobyl nuclear plant catches fire

Two firefighting planes and a helicopter were deployed to the exclusion zone of the 1986 nuclear accident.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 4, 2020
Mauritius beach (picture-alliance/dpa/P. Schickert)

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CatastropheMarch 11, 202010 images
An aerial shot of the abandoned Ukrainian city of Pripyat, with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant visible in the background

Ukraine: Target practice at Chernobyl

Ukraine's national guard apparently conducts training exercises in the abandoned city of Pripyat.
SocietyAugust 1, 2019
Protesters in Moscow gathered to oppose the construction of a highway that could cut through a nuclear waste site

Moscow residents protest 'second Chernobyl'

Muscovites are protesting a highway which could cut straight through a nuclear waste site, releasing radioactive dust.
PoliticsJuly 23, 2019
Conor Dillon and Gabriel Borrud in nuclear power plant Zwentendorf

Send in the bots!

When a reactor malfunctions, what happens next? Join us at an Austrian "meltdown" as teams from Europe send in the bots.
ScienceJuly 9, 201930:00 min
Hand holding a Geiger counter with the Chernobyl "sarcophagus" covered reactor in the background, Ukraine

Visiting Chernobyl more powerful than Instagram hype

Kai Dambach reflects on his own Chernobyl tour and the disaster's legacy in the social media age.
TravelJune 20, 2019
Ukraine Pripyat | Geisterstadt nach Chernobyl

'Chernobyl' creator asks tourists to show respect at site

Television show maker Craig Mazin reminded visitors to the exclusion zone that "a terrible tragedy occured there."
SocietyJune 12, 2019
09.2015 DW Focus on Europe (Sendungslogo)

Focus on Europe - Spotlight on People

The number of knife attacks is on the rise among young people in Britain. And: Poland's oldest DJane.
SocietyMay 23, 201926:06 min
external

Solar power sprouts in shadow of Chernobyl

A new solar power plant has opened in Ukraine, a stone’s throw away from the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear calamity
BusinessOctober 8, 201802:00 min
Children wear face masks in Crimea

Chemical incident evokes memories of Chernobyl

Authorities claim there is no threat to public health on the peninsula, but children have nonetheless been evacuated.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 6, 2018
Tschernobyl 30 Jahre danach

Chernobyl: evolution in the nuclear zone

It’s been 32 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Now, new life is evolving in the radioactive wasteland.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 17, 201805:12 min
A barge containing two nuclear reactors is towed out to sea by at least three tug boats from its port in St. Petersburg.

Russia's 'floating Chernobyl' heads out to sea

Environmentalists have slammed the mobile maritime reactors, saying an accident could damage parts of the Arctic.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 28, 2018