Andrei Azharouski: BelNPP Is Political Project For Belarus And Rosatom

The nuclear physicist explains the words of Dalia Grybauskaite about the Belarusian nuclear power plant in a conversation with Donald Trump.

In a conversation with US President Donald Tramp, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė mentions the construction of the Astravets nuclear power plant in Belarus.

"The dangerous Belarusian nuclear power plant and the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline can be used by Russia as a mean of non-conventional blackmail. The Belarusian nuclear power plant is built by Rosatom Corporation, 16 capitals of Europe can suffer from radioactive contamination in case of an accident at the station," – the Lithuanian president said.

Euroradio discussed with nuclear physicist Andrei Azharouski, what Dalia Grybauskaite refered to.

"Unconventional weapons for blackmail"

"Most likely, we are talking about non-standard, unusual threats, which can be connected with the construction of a nuclear power plant, because the facility is being built close to the Lithuanian capital." The blackmail is the way the nuclear power plant is built, because for Belarus and for Rosatom it is a political project. This is evidenced by the chosen site, because it is far from the industrial regions of Belarus, the blackmail is that they want to create a thorn in the flesh, to quarrel Lithuania and Belarus, and today such threats are being realized. Lithuania held a referendum, and after it took an anti-nuclear stand, this project in Belarus is beneficial only to Rosatom, people were not asked."

What about the 16 capitals that are in danger?

"This is the worst scenario, first of all Vilnius is at risk, then Minsk, because if you look at the wind streamline, the wind will go towards Minsk, and then Riga and Tallinn, Warsaw, Helsinki, Stockholm, Kiev fall under the emissions .. In rare cases, when the wind blows to the south, Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest, Kishinev fall under the emissions. In principle, it can fly to Prague, Bratislava, Vienna and even to Berlin. This is the Flex Risk study, done in Austria by the University of Vienna, it contains maps of the possible pollution in case of worst accidents at nuclear power plants, including the Astravets NPP."

What good will it be to Trump and how can he help?

"Trump is far away, the emissions will not get there. They decided to complain to him as to a senior NATO partner. This problem can only be solved at the talks between Lithuania and Belarus. Most likely, Belarus will have to abandon the construction of the station, as at the time Russia refused to build Nuclear power plant in Kaliningrad region. I do not think that Trapm will raise this issue at the meeting with Putin."