Rospotrebnadzor has confirmed the radioactive contamination of the Lago-Naki plateau — now officially

It is now fully official — the authorities have acknowledged the radioactive contamination of the protected Lago-Naki plateau. Let me remind you that officials, in alliance with big business, are effectively attempting to seize this wildlife sanctuary — a unique plateau that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The struggle for Lago-Naki has been going on for many years; the criminal “development” of the plateau has already begun: heavy machinery has been brought in, the soil is being disturbed, and preparations for building a resort are underway.

At the moment there is a brief lull. Our comrades who are actively defending the Lago-Naki plateau are there right now, “keeping their finger on the pulse” and monitoring every change in the situation. Gradually, things have started to shift in the right direction — the first criminal cases and court proceedings have appeared, and there is a real chance that we can repel the brazen attempt to seize Lago-Naki.

And now the latest information — our comrades have contacted me and reported that the Rospotrebnadzor office of the Republic of Adygea has officially confirmed the presence of Chernobyl cesium-137 and recorded excess radon levels on the Lago-Naki plateau. Earlier I published a separate detailed analysis on this topic, and together we submitted mass demands to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation calling for an immediate halt to any interference in the plateau’s ecosystems, given the colossal level of radioactive contamination.

Now we also have official confirmation from state authorities, since until recently the radioactive contamination had only been recorded by independent experts and the plateau’s defenders. Slowly the situation is emerging from a severe environmental crisis, but the struggle is far from over.

In short, the radioactive contamination resulted from fallout after the Chernobyl disaster. And it is precisely on this contaminated land that officials wanted to build a massive tourist cluster for short-term profit — meaning that every tourist who would come here would face serious health risks. Construction work could also cause the contamination to seep into water layers, putting local residents in danger.

Now about what Rospotrebnadzor staff discovered. Most importantly, they confirmed the presence of Chernobyl cesium and recorded excessive levels of radon. This means that state specialists have conducted radiological surveys of the area — and now denying the problem is impossible. Everything is documented.

The official report states that soil samples taken at the planned resort site indeed contain the technogenic radionuclide cesium-137. Although the concentrations did not exceed the established limit (370 Bq/kg), the very presence of “Chernobyl” cesium indicates the radioactive legacy of the 1986 disaster. Moreover, one of the measurement points recorded excess natural radon: as stated in the document, “the radon flux density from the ground surface at point No. 7 is 129±25 mBq/(m²·s), with a permissible limit of no more than 80 mBq/(m²·s).” Thus, government bodies have compiled the first radiation passport of the territory, openly confirming radioactive contamination of the plateau.

It turns out that the very disaster that befell Lago-Naki after the Chernobyl accident (radioactive fallout) may now help SAVE this unique natural sanctuary from destruction by shameless officials and businessmen. This is what our reality has come to!

It was especially important to document the radon excess, since radon is a dangerous natural radionuclide. It is colorless and odorless, but at high concentrations it significantly increases the risk of lung cancer.

Earlier this information had been confirmed by scientists — in April I published material on the work of Doctor of Biological Sciences Elena Buraeva, who discovered an area on Lago-Naki with abnormally high concentrations of 137Cs — up to 620 Bq/kg in the upper soil layer.

The nature of the radioactive contamination also deserves special attention. Experts believe it has a patchy, “spot-like” distribution. “The radiological contamination on the plateau is most likely spot-like,” says nuclear physicist Andrey Ozharsky, who visited the plateau with an independent expedition. According to him, fallout after Chernobyl settled unevenly, amplified by the specifics of the terrain: in some places radionuclides accumulated, while other areas were barely affected. “A more thorough radiological survey of the area is necessary,” the expert insists, since previous inspections were too limited and do not reflect the full picture. In April this year, Ozharsky and activists already detected 137Cs in the valley of the Kurdzhips River at the foot of the plateau. This suggests that the radionuclide is migrating beyond the main zone, spreading down the slopes. Accidental or deliberate disturbance of contaminated soil could accelerate this process, dispersing dangerous particles with water and wind ever further.

It is important to understand that even the Rospotrebnadzor study was SUPERFICIAL — in reality the situation may be much worse. It is entirely possible that other radioactive “spots” were not included in the reports; they are migrating and pose a serious threat. This means that INTERFERING WITH THE ECOSYSTEMS OF THE LAGO-NAKI PLATEAU IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!

The radiation report explicitly states that destroying the peat layer saturated with radionuclides may release accumulated radioactive substances into the environment. In simple terms, once bulldozers cut off the top 10 cm of soil, which has accumulated 137Cs for decades, this dangerous element will spread into dust and water. The radioactive dust will be carried by wind across the surrounding valleys, while water will carry particles into rivers.

I want to note something else: earlier, the head of the Maykop district proposed transporting the removed soil from the future eco-resort construction site to the nearby village of Khodzha (Kamenomostsky). Naturally, when local residents learned about this, they were horrified! Who is even appointed to lead our regions? We are talking about moving soil containing radiocesium and radon directly into a populated area!

So not only would the soil be stripped from a unique wildlife refuge, but it would then be transported right next to people’s homes. The consequences would be mass cancer cases, deaths — and people would not even understand what was happening or “why everyone suddenly started dying.”

In summary, comrades: we now have official confirmation, everything is documented, and it is crucial to secure absolute protection for the Lago-Naki plateau. The long-running struggle is currently in a lull, but law enforcement agencies are gradually working, helping the plateau’s defenders expose crimes and bring all lobbyists and wrongdoers to account.

In my view, a full federal investigation must be launched at the highest level, because we are dealing with an organized group that uses vast influence within the government and enormous financial resources to effectively appropriate — through openly criminal methods — our natural heritage!

Share this material! The struggle continues.

Read earlier materials: 

• Detailed information on radioactive contamination at the Lago-Naki plateau
• We send demands to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation to stop this madness

© PAVEL PASHKOV