First published 2025
February 24, 2022. Russian armored vehicles roll toward the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine as Putin's invasion begins. Ukrainian plant workers find themselves hostages in their own facility, forced to work weeks-long shifts to prevent another nuclear disaster. The occupation lasts thirty-five days. Meanwhile, an even more perilous crisis unfolds at Zaporizhia, Europe's largest nuclear power facility in southern Ukraine. After Russian forces attack in March 2022, they maintain control of the plant while Ukrainian intelligence warns of possible nuclear terrorism. Plokhy weaves together the current war with the original Chernobyl catastrophe, revealing how nuclear facilities become weapons when warfare and atomic power collide. The dedication of Ukrainian personnel stands between the world and nuclear catastrophe.
Genres: history, science, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, military-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Chernobyl, Ukraine, Zaporizhia
Period: 2022
240 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books Ltd
Content warnings: violence, war