After more than a month of occupation, the Russian armed forces began demobilizing from Chernobyl, albeit at a very high price: more and more soldiers were irradiated. The situation is “catastrophic,” criticized the Ukrainian government, which has submitted an appeal to the UN to “demilitarize” the power plant site, which was the scene of the worst nuclear accident in history.
At the beginning of the day, the Russians marched towards Belarus in two columns, leaving only a small contingent in the area of the power plant in the north of the country, the stateowned company Energoatom said. Although Chernobyl was closed by the 1986 disaster, it was taken by the Russians on February 24, the first day of the invasion. With the goal, according to several analysts, to control the fastest route to Kyiv from the Belarusian border.
The Russians’ management of the site proved very problematic, with constant power cuts needed to activate the cooling systems of the spent nuclear fuel storage system and the consequent risk of radioactive leaks. Additionally, the numerous fires developing this season have made the area even more toxic. And the consequences for the health of the occupying soldiers are beginning to emerge.
Some sources from the agency that monitors the exclusion zone have reported that troops deployed in Chernobyl are being treated for radiation sickness in Belarus. At least seven buses loaded with soldiers arrived at a specialized center in Gomel this week, according to Minsk media.
According to the plant operators, the Russian military crossed the socalled Red Forest, a highly toxic forest area around the factory premises, without protective equipment, which was also forbidden for workers. The armored vehicles kicked up radioactive dust that likely contaminated the soldiers inside. It was a “suicide,” stressed one of the sources working on the administration of Chernobyl.
For Kyiv, the Russians’ lack of foresight is alarming. “The situation in Chernobyl is catastrophic, they don’t have it under control. There is a risk of farreaching repercussions, underlined Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. Allegation that the inmates are using old ammunition and weapons that may explode in transit. In addition, their presence prevents firefighters from intervening to put out the fires. The only solution to avoid the worst is the demilitarization of the Chernobyl area, stressed Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, who made a formal request to UN SecretaryGeneral Guterres. Urge him to send an inspection mission.
In addition to Chernobyl, the Russians control the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which was bombed in the first days of the invasion, sparking fears of another disaster. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has just visited the plant in southern Ukraine, one of four active across the country. And he expressed the hope that Kyiv and Moscow will find an agreement as soon as possible and that the power plant “will return to the control of the Ukrainians.”