Is the Chernobyl nuclear power plant still active?

RUSSIAN forces captured the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant during their invasion of Ukraine.

The attack came in the early hours of Thursday, February 24, as war broke out on the eastern borders of Ukraine.

What is the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was once a power complex with four nuclear reactors based in a remote area of Ukraine.

Its first four reactors were built successfully in 1970,1977, and 1983 before moving on to the sixth and seventh reactors.

Viktor Bryukhanov was in charge of the Chernobyl power plant when it exploded during the construction of the last two reactors in 1986.

The explosion killed two workers immediately and 28 others died from radiation poisoning within a few weeks.

Radioactivity spread as far as Italy and France resulting in deformities in newly-born livestock and contaminating millions of miles of farmland.

An investigation into the explosion revealed faulty protocols in the design of the reactors and poorly trained personnel caused the destruction.

Bryukhanov maintained his innocence at Chernobyl and said they received directions from Moscow in Russia for the reactors' building plans. He also alleged higher-ups in the company did not provide adequate tools to measure radiation leaks.

Despite his pleas, Bryukhanov was expelled from the Communist party and charged with violating safety rules, abuse of power, and negligence.

He pleaded not guilty to his first two charges but did plead guilty of negligence. "I am guilty as manager of having missed something, of having been careless or inefficient in some way," Bruykhanov said during the trial.

"I understand that this is a serious accident, but everyone bears some blame for it.”

Bryukhanov was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released halfway through his sentence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Is the Chernobyl nuclear power plant still active?

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster is considered to be the worst nuclear disaster in the world, and more than three decades later, the area remains as dangerous as ever.