Alexei Yablokov, a rigorous researcher, author of the scientific work on the Chernobyl disaster (Chernobyl. Consequences for Man and Nature) and corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, died at the age of 83 on January, 10.
In 2016, the Russian ecologist and activist granted an interview to Belsat TV, in which he assessed the aftermath of the Chernobyl and the current construction of a nuclear power plant in the Belarusian town of Astravets.
“[The idea of] Astravets NPP is frenzy, it is a gamble with the help of which the Belarusian leadership, namely Alyaksandr Lukashenka, is just pulling money out of Russia. There is no sense in building a nuclear power plant in Belarus. One should not do that. We need to develop other energy sources. I visited Minsk and opposed the idea. It is madness,” Yablokov said.
When asked how to avoid another Chernobyl in the future, the researcher recommended Belarusians to take the existing NPP out of service and not to build new ones by the example of Germany. “Germans decided to turn to other sources of energy, as nuclear power is unacceptably dangerous,” he warned.
