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Published time: 13 Jun, 2017 18:18 Edited time: 13 Jun, 2017 18:53

Ukraines nuclear regulatory body reported smoke at one of the rooms at Unit 3 in Chernobyl, adding that it was briefly liquidated by the state emergency personnel and the radiological situation at the site has not changed following the incident.

At 15:57 pm weve received information from Chernobyl nuclear power plant about smoke in room 509 of Power Unit Three. At 16:00 the smoke was liquidated by the State Emergency Service staff, a statement issued by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine reads.

The radiological situation in the third power unit and the stations territory has not changed, it added.

No further details were immediately available.

The Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant is known around the world for the accident, one of the worst ever, that took place there on April 26, 1986, when a failed safety experiment caused a catastrophic meltdown at the plants Reactor 4. An explosion followed, destroying the reactor and releasing large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere.

READ MORE in RT's special project CHERNOBYL: FALLOUT 30

Following the accident, a 30-square kilometer zone surrounding the NPP was evacuated and declared uninhabitable, while the large radioactive cloud spread across more than 200,000 square kilometers. The nuclear fallout contaminated large areas in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, then republics of the Soviet Union.

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Over 30 people died immediately or short-term after the accident. The total number of radiation-related deaths caused by the disaster could have amounted to about 4,000 by 2005, according to a massive study conducted by an international team of more than 100 scientists.

Following the disaster, a steel and concrete sarcophagus was constructed over the destroyed Reactor 4 to encase the dangerous area and prevent the remaining radioactive materials from getting into the atmosphere.

The sarcophagus deteriorated over time, due to extreme levels of radiation, and was deemed unrepairable by 1996. The construction of a new, internationally funded, shelter began in 2012. The giant steel radiation shield was maneuvered into place over the existing steel and concrete structures in November 2016, but construction is still under way. The replacement shield, costing 1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) and built by French consortium Novarka, is designed to withstand a tornado and has an expected lifespan of at least 100 years.

Power Unit 3 was launched in 1981 and remained operational even after the 1986 disaster. The unit was the last part of the nuclear plant to be permanently shut down in December 2000.

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Smoke detected at crippled Chernobyl power plant Ukraine nuclear watchdog - RT

Forbes

Russians Insist On New Pipeline To Bypass Ukraine, And Europeans Fine With It Forbes The Ukrainians hate this thing. European politicians and energy executives don't seem the least bit worried about it. "If this Nord Stream 2 pipeline is built, it is bad for Ukraine. Bad for Naftogaz. Russia will bypass us in the future if this gets ...

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Russians Insist On New Pipeline To Bypass Ukraine, And Europeans Fine With It - Forbes

Investors wanting to take the temperature of Ukraines reform drive could do worse than look in on state-run energy firm Naftogaz, where a battle for control underscores the obstacles hampering wider efforts to clean up the ex-communist economy.

The companys fortunes were improving after Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroismans government eliminated crippling price subsidies and a newly installed management team boosted financial performance. But recent attempts to instill stricter corporate governance have met resistance from officials desperate to maintain access to the purse strings. A feud with foreign creditors has ensued. Who wins will reveal a lot about the nations future.

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Naftogaz has long been a bellwether for Ukraines political and economic trajectory. Under ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, it embodied all the former Soviet republics ills, from inefficiency to cronyism and corruption. Three years after the countrys second pro-European revolution in a decade, it tells a story of successful reforms that could yet be squandered. At stake are billions of dollars in Western financing and a strategy for economic revival that hinges on luring back investment, even as a Russian-backed conflict simmers in the nations east.

Theres pushback -- it takes a lot of energy and a lot of determination from Naftogazs management and international financial organizations to continue pushing forward, said Francis Malige, managing director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has lent Naftogaz $300 million. This is a flagship reform. Its on everyones radar.

Post-revolution trouble at Naftogaz emerged in 2016, when the government unexpectedly sought direct control of transportation unit UkrTransGaz. The London-based EBRD and the World Bank said the step violated pledges to separate the production, delivery and sale of gas, jeopardizing $800 million of loans. The cabinet backed down.

So-called unbundling will now begin this year. Naftogaz signed an agreement with PwC Polska Sp. z.o.o on Monday to help separate its gas-transportation business and meet European Union rules.

The latest storm is around Naftogazs independent supervisory board, created to absorb powers frommanagement and the government to bolster corporate governance. Board members positions remain subject to annual review, while the mostly foreign directors are threatening to quit after having been asked to submit asset declarations -- a tool designed to root out corruption among Ukrainian officials.

The government says it will resolve the issues and insists it wants state-run companies to use European best practices. For the first time during Ukraines independence years, the management of public companies having strategic importance will be distanced at most from political influence, Deputy Premier Volodymyr Kistion said.

Naftogazs management, which strengthened its position with a vital court win last month against Russias Gazprom PJSC, accuses the authorities of contradictingcorporate-governance recommendations issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Whilesupervisory board Chairman Paul Warwick sees appetite for reforms, he doesnt expect vested interests to surrender easily.

You can describe it as two steps forward, two steps back and then one step forward, he said in a phone interview. We should double our efforts to put in place those actions as quickly as possible.

International lenders arent happy. EBRD President Suma Chakrabartiwarnedthe governmentin April that one of the most meaningful reforms undertaken under your leadership is at risk of collapsing.

Officials have long been accused of using Naftogaz for personal enrichment, inserting middlemen into energy deals and other procurement to siphon off cash. A reformist minister quit last year, saying a ruling-party lawmaker tried to install an ally to oversee state enterprises.Transparency International ranksUkraine 131st-worst of 176 countries for corruption.

Ukraine won praise for raising energy prices to market level in 2016, exceeding International Monetary Fund loan conditions aimed at shoring up public finances. While it could work faster to overhaul its institutions and economy, thecommunist legacy remains an impediment, according to EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

In general, Im satisfied with the reform efforts, he said this month.

There have been successes beyond energy. The central bank shut down more than 80 lenders that largely served the interests of their oligarch owners, culminating withlast years nationalization of the countrys biggest. Butanti-graft opposition remains among officials.

The team running Naftogaz has done things no one three years ago would have ever dreamed possible, Nick Piazza, chief executive officer of investment bank SP Advisors in Kiev, said by email. There are elements constantly putting up roadblocks to their efforts.

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Battle at Gas Champion Exposes Struggle to Rebuild Ukraine - Bloomberg

Mon, Jun 12, 2017, 14:00 Updated: Mon, Jun 12, 2017, 15:34

Ukraines president Petro Poroshenko and EU ambassador to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli start a symbolic visa-free timer at a ceremony marking the launch of a visa-free regime with the EU in Kiev on Saturday. Photograph: Sergei Chuzavkov/AP

Ukraine has hailed the launch of visa-free access to most of the European Union for its citizens as a major step away from Russia, as politicians in Kiev discuss how to tighten border controls with its huge eastern neighbour.

Ukrainian leaders called the abolition of visa restrictions a tangible result of the countrys pivot to the west following a 2014 revolution that drew fierce retaliation from Russia, which subsequently annexed Crimea and fomented a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed about 10,000 people.

Border officials said on Monday that more than 2,000 Ukrainians had so far crossed into EU states using just a biometric passport without a visa since the new rules came into force on Saturday, and that only a handful of people had been refused entry due to previous travel violations.

Hugues Mingarelli, the head of the EU delegation in Kiev, said we are very pleased that as many Ukrainian citizens as possible can visit EU member states. Ukrainian citizens do not represent a threat to the EU. They bring opportunities and hope for the EU.

Ukrainians with biometric passports now have the right to travel visa-free to but not to work in the so-called Schengen area, which comprises 26 states stretching from Finland to Portugal but does not include Ireland or the UK.

At weekend celebrations to mark the changes, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko told a crowd in Kiev that the move signifies our states final break from the Russian empire, and the Ukrainian democratic world from the authoritarian Russian world.

Many Ukrainians are dissatisfied with the pace of reform, and accuse the billionaire Mr Poroshenko and allies of maintaining a corrupt and opaque system based on shadowy backroom deals between wealthy oligarchs and their cronies.

The EU and United States continue to supply vital financial and diplomatic support to Ukraine, however, and several western military powers provide training and defensive weapons for armed forces that suffer almost daily losses in the east.

Federica Mogherini, the EUs foreign policy chief, said the visa liberalisation would bring down a barrier between the people of Ukraine and the people of the European Union . . . making a difference to our citizens everyday life.

Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin said measures were being taken to ensure people who were part of the Russian-backed separatist militia that control parts of two eastern regions were not allowed to enter the EU.

Amid growing debate on whether Ukraine should tighten entry rules for Russians, Mr Klimkin said he favoured a system under which Russian visitors would file information online about planned visits to Ukraine.

Moscow could be expected to respond in kind to any such changes, potentially causing problems for millions of Ukrainians living in Russia.

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Ukraine hails visa-free EU travel as a historic step away from Russia - Irish Times

Ukrainians can now travel without a visa to the EU for 90 days. Credit: Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

The move marks Ukraines desired rapprochement to the EU bloc in the wake of 2014 protests against the then

By Joanna Plucinska

6/11/17, 12:05 PM CET

Updated 6/11/17, 12:05 PM CET

Hundreds of Ukrainians entered the EU on Sunday, marking the first day of visa-free travel into the EU for Ukraine, according to Agence France-Presse.

The move marks Ukraines desired rapprochement with the EU bloc in the wake of protests in 2014 which overthrew the pro-Russian government, followed by Russias annexation of Crimea.

The measure symbolises a final breakaway of our state from the Russian empire, Poroshenko proclaimed to a group gathered in theEuropean Square in Kiev Saturday, according to AFP.

The EU approved the movein Mayin exchange for anti-corruption measures and reforms.

Ukrainians can now travel without a visa to the EU for 90 days in any given 180-day period. They need to have biometric passports, which store personal data and fingerprints, to benefit from the new rules.

Visa liberalisation talks between Kiev and Brussels began in 2008.

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Ukraine's president celebrates first day of visa-free travel to EU - POLITICO.eu