Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces • Hacker News Board

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#71

Post by BitwiseFool » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

systemvoltage wrote: post #48

BitwiseFool wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is actually deviously brilliant. No one wants to shell the area because it would release all the dust and radionuclides that were buried during the cleanup. It is a perfect staging area because the downside to attacking it is so high. No allied forces in Europe want to deal with the fallout - literally. This is so genius I'm genuinely in awe. This is right out of Sun Tzu: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on…

Unless they're literally housed inside the containment building, this is useless against precision guided missiles and bombs. Are you talking about deterrence to nuclear bombing of Chernobyl? Then it is a moot point because the fallout from the weapon itself would dwarf the dormant fissile material in the containment facility. Sorry, but this makes no sense. If Russia wants to deter EU with fallout, they already have…

No this doesn't have anything to do with Nuclear Weapon deterrence. Much of the liquidation effort was literally burying contaminated topsoil in the area. The explosions from conventional bombs would kick radioactive particles back up into the atmosphere. Europe probably does not want to deal with that, so I imagine they will refrain from attacking directly.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#72

Post by jandrese » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

whatshisface wrote: post #50

causi wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EU and US will use every diplomatic and financial weapon against Russia, but they've long since decided Ukraine and the Ukrainian people aren't worth actual war over. That call was made in 2014 and stopping Russia then would've been easier than it would be now.

It's not clear whether every financial weapon will be used. For example, > The foreign ministers of the Baltic states called for Russia to be cut off from SWIFT, the global intermediary for banks' financial transactions. However, other EU member states were reluctant, both because European lenders held most of the nearly $30 billion in foreign bank's exposure to Russia and because China has developed an alternative t…

This is where diplomacy should shine. It's clear that Russia has been hardening against western sanctions for years now, and CIPS is a big piece of that. If NATO can convince China to also shut them out of CIPS at the same time we turn off SWIFT the Russian Oligarchs will start applying pressure to Putin.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#73

Post by sAbakumoff » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

hwers wrote: post #21

I can't really tell what's going on here. Is the EU and America supposed to be helping out but it's all promises without real counter attacks? Is this just the calm before the storm as russia places their troops in the right spots while everyone looks on? Anyone who's smarter than me who could enlighten me?

Putin warned the West that he wouldn't hesitate to conduct a nuclear strike if they try to meddle.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#74

Post by juliansimioni » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

systemvoltage wrote: post #48

BitwiseFool wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is actually deviously brilliant. No one wants to shell the area because it would release all the dust and radionuclides that were buried during the cleanup. It is a perfect staging area because the downside to attacking it is so high. No allied forces in Europe want to deal with the fallout - literally. This is so genius I'm genuinely in awe. This is right out of Sun Tzu: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on…

Unless they're literally housed inside the containment building, this is useless against precision guided missiles and bombs. Are you talking about deterrence to nuclear bombing of Chernobyl? Then it is a moot point because the fallout from the weapon itself would dwarf the dormant fissile material in the containment facility. Sorry, but this makes no sense. If Russia wants to deter EU with fallout, they already have…

I would imagine that even a small conventional bomb landing anywhere within a few miles of Chernobyl would unearth and spread contamination.

I remember reading somewhere that all the ground was full of small radioactive particles in the area surrounding Chernobyl. So basically what they had to do was dig up the first few feet of dirt and flip it over, burying the contaminated dirt. Any small bomb would undo that. Then the wind would carry it and we'd have a whole mess.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#75

Post by outside1234 » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

Hey, good news people, Switzerland is going to remain neutral and keep taking Russian money.

And Germany doesn't want to stop Swift because they need sweet sweet natural gas from Russia

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#76

Post by notjustanymike » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:22 PM UTC

No post body was provided.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#77

Post by csee » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:23 PM UTC

cure wrote: post #56

inglor_cz wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not even every financial weapon. EU isn't united on kicking Russia out of SWIFT.

That was yesterday. Today, the situation is evolving quickly.

No it's not, Biden confirmed it now.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#78

Post by injb » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:23 PM UTC

I think this is mainly a psychological move. It has people talking about nuclear fallout, radiation etc. That's the point.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#79

Post by jaywalk » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:24 PM UTC

outside1234 wrote: post #69

netsharc wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if they were, what's easier, to honour such an agreement with an expensive (materially and in terms of human lives) and dangerous (would cause the conflict so spread) deployment or to say "Sorry, you're going to have to tough it out yourself.". The USA and UK already abandoned the Afghani people, feels like the once mighty US military really doesn't want to be in a shooting war against Russia. As someone living…

The US will defend NATO. They will nuke Russia's forces if they try to enter Poland. There is no doubt in my mind that is a red line.

There should always be plenty of doubt in your mind if you're saying that the US will use nukes in any situation short of someone else using them first.

Re: Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces

#80

Post by BitwiseFool » Thu, Feb 24, 2022, 7:24 PM UTC

stickfigure wrote: post #52

BitwiseFool wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is actually deviously brilliant. No one wants to shell the area because it would release all the dust and radionuclides that were buried during the cleanup. It is a perfect staging area because the downside to attacking it is so high. No allied forces in Europe want to deal with the fallout - literally. This is so genius I'm genuinely in awe. This is right out of Sun Tzu: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on…

If that is true, then every explosion contaminates the vehicles and personnel staged in the immediate vicinity. Doesn't sound so brilliant to me.

True, but the Russians are also counting on the idea that Ukrainian forces do not want to release that fallout back on to their own territory and that European forces do not want radioactive particles wafting back over into continental Europe.

Russia has calculated that while an attack would be bad for the Russian forces at Chernobyl, it would actually be much worse for the allied forces.