Worst Disasters

Worst Soviet & Russian Nuclear Power Plant Disasters

Over the past half-century, there have been numerous emergency shutdowns, power losses, fires, cooling line breaches and other dangerous event at Russian nuclear power plants (particularly at Leningrad, Kola and Balakovsky).

According to official government data, since 1949, Russian nuclear energy plants have had 385 “incidents” with varying degrees of seriousness (including 250 “failures”), in which 685 persons have been harmed. Some 383 persons have reportedly received serious radiation sickness and 56 have died.

Below are some of the most significant Soviet and Russian nuclear incidents, with emphasis on those involving radiation leaks.

September 29, 1957: Chelyabinsk Waste Dump explosion

January 7, 1974: Explosion at Leningrad plant

February 6, 1974: Explosion at Leningrad plant

November 30, 1975: Leak at Leningrad plant

December 31, 1978: Fire and irradiation of workers at Beloyarsk plant

June 27, 1985: Explosion and leak at Balakovsky plant

April 26, 1986: Explosion at Chernobyl reactor No. 4

December 28, 1990: Leak at Leningrad plant

July 10, 1992: Leak at Bilibino plant

October 1991: Explosion at Chernobyl reactor No. 2 leads to its permanent shutdown

January 19, 1992: Leak at Kola plant

March 24, 1992: Leak at Leningrad plant

September 12, 1992: Radioactive water leak at Kola plant

December 21, 1992: Leak at Kola plant

April 6, 1993: Explosion at Tomsk-7 chemical separation plant

May 15, 1997: Explosion at Novosibirsk chemical factory