Kyiv, Ukraine – Forty years after the Chornobyl disaster spread radioactive contamination across Europe, the risks it exposed have evolved in a world shaped by war, geopolitical tension and more frequent extreme weather, where the vulnerability of nuclear power is abundantly clear.

The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has brought these risks into sharp focus, with nuclear power stations operating in warzones where critical infrastructure is targeted, underscoring the challenges of relying on large, centralised energy systems in an increasingly unstable environment.

“Forty years after the start of the Chornobyl disaster, we are still living its consequences. The severe risks from nuclear power demonstrated by Chornobyl are being deliberately used by Russia as a weapon of war,” Polina Kolodiazhna, Senior Campaigner from Greenpeace Ukraine said. 

“Nuclear power stations have inherent risks, and those risks are escalating. Russia, for the first time in the history of warfare, has systematically attacked and occupied nuclear plants showing how they can be used as military and political tools. In a world at war, with massive geopolitical tension and climate extremes, those risks are increasing.”

At the same time, decentralised renewable energy systems are showing a different model of resilience. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, solar power combined with battery storage has helped keep hospitals, schools and municipalities functioning during blackouts. These systems are harder to disable, faster to repair, and continue to generate electricity even when parts of the grid are damaged.

One such example is the green Outpatient Clinic in Horenka, a village near Kyiv. After the Russian occupation of the Kyiv region caused massive damage, the clinic was rebuilt and equipped with a hybrid solar system and a heat pump. Olena Yuzvak, Director of the Green Outpatient Clinic in Horenka said renewable energy had made the vital facility “independent”.

“We can now serve all our patients, no matter the Russian attacks on the energy system,” she said. “But we became far more than “just” a green outpatient clinic. During energy shortages, people come to us for medical help but also to simply charge their phones or have a hot cup of tea. Horenka Clinic is a lifeline during blackouts.” 

The clinic also serves as a blueprint for a secure energy system that ensures Ukraine remains in control of its own power, through crisis and peace.[1] 

But while decentralised systems are strengthening resilience on the ground, the risks associated with large, centralised nuclear infrastructure have not diminished. A new analysis commissioned by Greenpeace Ukraine finds that the primary functions of the New Safe Confinement (NSC), which contains the Sarcophagus and ruins of Chornobyl reactor unit 4,  have been severely compromised as a consequence of last year’s Russian dronestrike.[2]

Repairing the NSC is a priority due to the hazards posed by the radioactive materials inside, but continuation of Russia’s war is a direct threat to these efforts. One design function of the NSC is to use enormous cranes to dismantle the Sarcophagus while preventing radioactive materials from escaping into the environment.

“The drone attack on the New Safe Confinement was a Russian-made war crime. After 40 years, the Chornobyl Sarcophagus is vulnerable and decades past its design life. The damage to the New Safe Confinement means years of repairs and further delays before the Sarcophagus can be safely dismantled,” Greenpeace Ukraine nuclear expert Shaun Burnie said.

“Greenpeace has a simple and clear message: Russia must be stopped from weaponising nuclear power plants. There is a clear contradiction in EU policy when on the one hand it supports Ukraine while on the other it continues nuclear trade with Rosatom, which directly funds Russia’s war against Ukraine. Full sanctions that end European nuclear business with Russia should be a European security priority.”

Forty years after the Chornobyl disaster, the lesson is clear: nuclear risk is long lasting and difficult to contain. In today’s unstable world, that risk is increasing. Safer, more resilient energy systems are already available. Governments should prioritise decentralised renewable energy to strengthen security, reduce vulnerability and build a more stable energy future.

ENDS

Photos and video available in the Greenpeace Media Library: 

• Historic images of the Chornobyl site and ongoing impact of the nuclear disaster 
• Images from April 2026, Greenpeace visit to Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station

Notes:

[1] Background information on Greenpeace Ukraine’s green reconstruction project
[2] Greenpeace report on impact of Russian drone attack on New Safe Confinement at Chornobyl nuclear power station that describes the potential risk of a collapse

Contacts:

Theresa Gral, Greenpeace Central- and Eastern Europe Communications, theresa.gral@greenpeace.org, +43 650 375 1987 (Signal, Whatsapp)

Martin Zavan, Communications Specialist, Greenpeace International, mzavan@greenpeace.org +61 424 295 422 (Signal, Whatsapp)

List of available spokespeople for this issue available here

Greenpeace International Press Desk: +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org 

On this day 40 years ago, an explosion at reactor 4 at the Chornobyl nuclear power station released radioactive contamination across Europe, forcing entire communities to abandon their homes, and leaving a toxic legacy that endures to this day. The consequences did not end as the story faded from the headlines. Lives and livelihoods were lost, land remains uninhabitable, and the clean-up continues to carry enormous human and financial costs. This is not simply a commemoration of a past event, 40 years later, this is an ongoing nuclear emergency.

Today, the impacts continue to play out in an increasingly unstable world. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, nuclear infrastructure has been exposed to the realities of modern warfare. Nuclear power stations have been attacked and occupied, and critical systems placed under immense pressure. As Greenpeace Ukraine Senior Campaigner, Polina Kolodiazhna said “Forty years after the start of the Chornobyl disaster, we are still living its consequences. The severe risks from nuclear power demonstrated by Chornobyl are being deliberately used by Russia as a weapon of war.”

Nuclear power remains the biggest source of electricity in Ukraine. But the context has changed. In a world shaped by war, geopolitical tension and intensifying extreme weather, large centralised energy systems are exposed. When things go wrong, the consequences are systemic and enduring.

There is however, another side to the story, that shows what is already possible and points to a better future.

Across Ukraine, decentralised renewable energy is already performing well under pressure. Solar power and battery storage has kept hospitals, schools and communities functioning during blackouts caused by Russian attacks on electricity infrastructure. Renewable systems are harder to disable, quicker to repair, and continue generating even when parts of the grid are damaged. 

In Horenka, near Kyiv, a damaged outpatient clinic was rebuilt, with Greenpeace Ukraine support, with a hybrid solar system and heat pump instead of gas. Its director, Olena Yuzvak, said that means patients can be tended to despite Russian attacks. “But we became far more than ‘just’ a green outpatient clinic,” she said. “During energy shortages, people come to us for medical help but also to simply charge their phones or have a hot cup of tea. The Horenka Clinic is a lifeline.” 

This is what resilience looks like

Distributed renewable energy systems reduce vulnerability because they don’t concentrate risk in a single point of failure. They can be deployed quickly, scaled flexibly and rapidly restored. That matters in a volatile environment.

By contrast, the risks of nuclear power remain, including at Chornobyl. A new analysis commissioned by Greenpeace Ukraine reveals that the primary functions of the New Safe Confinement (NSC), which contains the Sarcophagus and ruins of Chornobyl reactor unit 4,  have been severely compromised as a consequence of last year’s deliberate, Russian drone strike. The assessment concludes that its ability to perform its containment role has been compromised, raising concerns about the potential release of radioactive material.

Inside the damaged reactor and its original shelter lies a complex mix of radioactive dust, fuel remnants and debris. The NSC was designed to enable the safe dismantling of these materials while preventing contamination from escaping. With that function impaired, the risks become harder to manage, particularly amid war.

Greenpeace nuclear specialist Shaun Burnie has warned that the situation increases the danger of radioactive material being released if structural failure occurs, highlighting how conflict amplifies the long-term risks of nuclear disaster. This is one of the key lessons of Chornobyl and should serve as a warning. The consequences of a nuclear disaster are not confined to a single moment. They endure, evolve and can be exacerbated by new pressures, such as war or extreme weather.

The question of accountability

Russian forces continue to threaten nuclear facilities in Ukraine and systematically attack the Ukraine grid. This could lead – in a worst case scenario – to multiple emergency failures at Ukraine’s nuclear reactors and the release of catastrophic levels of radioactivity, even beyond what we have seen at the Chornobyl disaster forty years ago. At the same time, the Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, continues to play a key role in global energy markets by exporting technology and nuclear fuel. Reducing dependency on Rosatom is not just an energy issue, but one of international security.

Continuing to rely on nuclear systems tied to geopolitical risk, whether through fuel supply, technology or infrastructure, leaves countries exposed to political, economic and security pressures that go well beyond energy policy.

The lesson of Chornobyl is not only about what can go wrong, but about what it costs when it does, across borders, generations, and under conditions that are more volatile than ever.

The choice is not abstract. It is playing out now.

Governments can continue to invest in centralised systems that concentrate risk and deepen geopolitical dependence. Or they can accelerate the shift to decentralised renewable energy that is safer, more resilient and harder to weaponise.

An act of glacial solidarity, Trump spews oil, and the Arctic Sunrise joins a flotilla. Here are a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace work around the world this week. Comment below to tell us which you like best!

Switzerland – Activists from Greenpeace Switzerland hold banners at the Morteratsch Glacier, in solidarity against Energy Transfer’s SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit against public participation). The American fossil fuel giant is attempting to silence critics by suing Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International.

Spain – Greenpeace Spain activists displayed a giant image of Donald Trump vomiting oil onto a black-stained fountain in Madrid’s Plaza de Colón, alongside the message in English: “No oil, no war”. With this action, the environmental organisation is calling on the Spanish government to take a leading role during the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, an international summit starting this week in Santa Marta, Colombia, where, for the first time, more than 50 countries will begin to draw up a global roadmap to phase out oil, gas and coal.

Italy – The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise joins the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF); sailing alongside more than seventy vessels and over a thousand participants who seek to directly challenge Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid to Gaza. The Arctic Sunrise’s role will be to provide technical and operational maritime support so that the vessels safely transit across the Mediterranean before they complete the last 200 nautical miles to Gaza’s shores.

South Korea – Greenpeace Seoul office participates in the 65th rally hosted by the “Palestine Solidarity Emergency Action by Korean Civil Society” to call for peace in the Middle East and around the world.

Scotland, UK – Greenpeace UK activists install a wind farm on a green of the Trump Turnberry Golf Club, together with a sign reading ‘Choose Wind, Dump Trump’. Polling shows that roughly two-thirds of Scottish voters (65%) believe Britain should not follow US President Donald Trump’s calls for increasing oil and gas extraction and should instead focus on boosting renewable energy.

Germany – Greenpeace Germany collaborates with Drag Queen Vicky Voyage to raise awareness how important diversity is everywhere during Pride month in June 2026. The fight for a healthy planet is also linked to the fight for a diverse society. This collaboration is intended to raise awareness of the protection of oceans and the arctic deep sea, connected to the deep sea mining campaign, coinciding with the Greenpeace expedition to explore the Arctic deep sea in May of this year.

Indonesia – Coinciding with Earth Day 2026, a civil society coalition holds a peaceful protest in front of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) office in Jakarta. The action aims to call on the Indonesian government to show leadership at the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF), scheduled to be held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24 to 29, 2026, and to reaffirm its commitment to a just transition away from fossil fuels.

Greenpeace has been a pioneer of photo activism for more than 50 years, and remains committed to bearing witness and exposing environmental injustice through the images we capture.

To see more Greenpeace photos and videos, visit our Media Library.

As leaders prepare to gather in Santa Marta, Colombia to chart a course away from fossil fuels, the world is being reminded, again, of the cost of coal, oil and gas dependence.

The war on Iran has sent shockwaves through global energy markets. Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil and gas prices to surge, and the effects are sparking chaos across the world: higher transport costs, rising food prices, and more expensive heating and electricity. For millions of families already challenged with a prolonged cost-of-living crisis, this is another hit they can ill afford.

Even if the conflict ends tomorrow, the environmental damage will linger and because complex oil and gas infrastructure could take years to repair, household energy costs won’t fall immediately. This is a structural flaw of the fossil fuel system that political leaders need to face.

Fossil fuels are traded globally, but are controlled by a small number of states or corporations with the power to shape supply and price. When conflict erupts, when infrastructure is damaged, or when geopolitical tensions rise, the entire system shudders. The consequences are felt far beyond the point of conflict, landing hardest on households and communities.

Oil and gas corporations benefit from this instability and post enormous wartime profits, while families pay more for essentials like transport, food and energy. 

This is happening in addition to another growing cost: the toll of climate-driven extreme weather, where communities are already paying for fossil fuel dependence through damaged homes and disrupted livelihoods. Now they are paying again through higher energy prices.

Santa Marta can unlock renewable energy transition

This is why Santa Marta is vital. It is the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels and will bring together a broad coalition of committed countries ready to move beyond fossil fuels and can be a key turning point towards a clean energy future.

More than 50 countries are set to attend, reinforcing what emerged at last year’s UN climate talks (COP30) in Belem, Brazil: many governments are willing to move ahead on the transition and leave behind those clinging to fossil fuels. 

But this shift  is not just about cutting emissions. It is about building energy systems that are stable, affordable and resistant to geopolitical shocks.

Renewable energy is a game changer and the future will be increasingly powered by cheap, abundant clean energy, coupled with electrification. Wind and solar are produced locally, and do not rely on shipping routes that can be blocked. They are not priced on volatile global markets. And once built, they provide energy at predictable and increasingly low cost.

Electrification backed by renewables, reduces dependence on imported fuels, stabilises prices and strengthens energy sovereignty. In a world defined by uncertainty, that is not just a climate solution, but an economic and security strategy.

Activists urge governments to end fossil fuels 

In the lead-up to Santa Marta, campaigners and communities have been mobilising around the world to demand an end to fossil fuel dependence and a just transition to renewable energy.

In Madrid, Greenpeace Spain activists called on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to lead a roadmap to end Spain’s reliance on petrostates, and called out US President Donald Trump, with a giant image of president Trump spewing oil into a fountain, staining the water black. The action was accompanied with a banner that said:  ”NO OIL, NO WAR” making the message crystal clear.

In Australia, Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists displayed a banner in front of Sydney’s iconic Opera House, carrying the message “Oil and gas fuel war, renewables power peace”.

The striking visual activities are both underpinned by the same insight: fossil fuels are tied to conflict, volatility and rising costs. Renewable energy offers a path away from all three.

Greenpeace Nordic and partner organisations held a pre-conference gathering in Norway, bringing together civil society voices to push for stronger commitments and clearer timelines ahead of the Santa Marta conference.

And the activities and demonstrations won’t end there. From Europe to the Pacific, people are aligning around a shared goal to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with systems that are cleaner, fairer and more secure.

That demand is increasingly backed by evidence and lived experience. 

Governments heading to Santa Marta face a choice: They can continue dealing with the fallout of a system punctuated by crises, or they can start phasing out fossil fuels in a fair, deliberate, funded and coordinated way.

What governments must do to enable a just transition

That means setting concrete and ambitious timelines to end fossil fuel extraction and use, removing barriers to renewable energy deployment, while preventing further extractivism and petrochemical expansion, and ensuring the rights and voices of affected workers, communities and countries are safeguarded in the process.

It also means holding polluters to account. Coal, oil and gas corporations have profited from a system that drives climate breakdown and economic instability. The costs of that system should be borne by them, not the public. 

Santa Marta is not the end stage, but must be the start of change towards an energy system that is cheaper for households, is climate friendly, safer for communities and works to end the world’s dependence on unstable and disrupted fossil fuel supply chains.

The alternative is tried and tested. Renewable energy systems are already delivering cheaper, more stable and more secure power in the countries that are investing in them.

The direction is clear. The only question is how quickly governments are prepared to move.

Martin Zavan is a freelance communications strategist at Greenpeace International, based in Sydney, Australia.