On 40th Anniversary of Chernobyl Disaster, Nearly 80 Percent of Russians Prepared to Rely on Nuclear Power Stations, VTsIOM Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 23 – Forth years ago this week, the world’s worst nuclear power disaster took place in Chernobyl in what was then the Ukrainian SSR. People in Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation continue to struggle with the consequences; but in Russia at least, people are no longer opposed to the development of nuclear power plants, a VTsIOM poll finds.

            In 1990, a survey found that only 14 percent of Russians favored building and using such plants. Now, 78 percent do; with the number of opponents of such an approach falling from 56 percent to 12 percent. And at the same time, the belief that nuclear power is safe rose, albeit in smaller amounts (readovka.news/news/241777/).

            Today, 27 percent of Russians say that the recurrence of a Chernobyl-type accident is “practically impossible,” up from 20 percent in 1990; and the share of those who remain convinced that similar accidents are “quite probable” fell over the same period from 20 percent to 17 percent.

            Over the last decade, VTsIOM surveys have found that Russians are less concerned about the impact of any accident on public health but far more concerned about the environmental damage such accidents cause. In 2016, 17 percent said their impact on the environment was the most destructive thing. Now, 55 percent of Russians do.