Workers at the Chernobyl nuclear site said Russian soldiers kicked up radioactive dust as they drove through the toxic Red Forest zone without radiation protection.
Russian tanks entered Chernobyl, located about 65 miles north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, on February 24, the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, according to Reuters, new details are emerging about the seizure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Soldiers drove armored vehicles through the Red Forest, causing a spike in radiation levels due to the resulting disruption of the radioactive soil around the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The Russian convoy did not use radiation protection equipment during the capture of Chernobyl, which Chernobyl officials say was “suicidal.”
A staffer said the radioactive dust inhaled by Russian soldiers is likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies.
Despite the Russian invasion, Chernobyl staff are still working to safely dispose of spent nuclear fuel at the site and to monitor the remains of the reactor that exploded more than 35 years ago.
The Russian government has insisted that radiation levels remain within normal levels following the capture of Chernobyl.
The Russian military claims that its seizure of Chernobyl prevented “nuclear provocations” that may have been planned by Ukrainian nationalists.
Dozens of nuclear power plant workers were allowed to go home last week after spending around 600 hours at the plant following its seizure by Russian forces.