Several hundred Russian soldiers have been forced to withdraw from Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant after suffering “acute radiation sickness” from contaminated soil, according to Ukrainian officials.
The troops, who were reportedly digging trenches in a contaminated red forest near the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, are now being treated at a special medical facility in Gomel, Belarus. The forest gets its name because thousands of pine trees turned red during the 1986 nuclear disaster. The area is considered so highly toxic that even highly specialized Chernobyl workers are not allowed to enter the zone.
Local reports indicate that seven buses carrying the zapped troops arrived in Gomel early Thursday. Local journalists have also reported on “ghost buses” carrying dead soldiers being transported from Belarus to Russia under cover of darkness.
US intelligence reported on Wednesday that Russian forces had begun withdrawing from the abandoned compound. Russia said withdrawing from Chernobyl was part of a pledge to contain the invasion. But Ukrainian media say this is actually because the troops were “irradiated” by the contaminated soil.
“Another group of irradiated Russian terrorists who took over the Chernobyl zone was taken today to the Belarusian Center for Radiation Medicine in Gomel,” posted Yaroslav Yemelianenko, who works for the public council of Ukraine’s state agency for restricted zone management. on Facebook. “There are rules for dealing with this territory.”
The Chernobyl facility fell under Russian control on February 24, the first day of the invasion. The workers worked more than 600 hours before they were allowed to change shifts. International concern grew immediately as Russian troops moved heavy military equipment through the area, kicking up radioactive dust without protective gear. Wildfires in the area have also raised concerns about pollution.
The digging of ditches in the forest – believed to be the most contaminated area at the site – drew widespread ridicule from Ukrainians working at the site.
The debacle is the latest in a series of missteps by Russian troops struggling to gain a foothold in their increasingly failed war.