04/10/2022 19:41 (act 04/10/2022 19:44)
Russian soldiers allegedly stole radioactive material from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. ©APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER
According to Ukrainian information, Russian soldiers stole radioactive substances from research laboratories while occupying the nuclear ruins of Chernobyl.
133 highly radioactive substances were stolen, the authority responsible for managing the exclusion zone around the nuclear plant said on Sunday. Even a small part is deadly “if handled unprofessionally”.
Russian soldiers stole radioactive material in Ukraine
Russian forces took control of the nuclear ruins on February 24, the first day of their attack on Ukraine. They finally withdrew from the site at the end of March.
Russian soldiers exposed themselves to radioactive radiation
According to Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Hlushchenko, Russian soldiers exposed themselves to “shocking” levels of radiation during the occupation of Chernobyl. Some of them may be less than a year old, the minister wrote on Facebook on Friday after visiting the restricted area. “They dug in radioactive soil, collected radioactive sand in bags used to fortify positions, and inhaled that dust.”
“Every Russian soldier takes home a piece of Chernobyl”
“Every Russian soldier will take home a piece of Chernobyl. Dead or alive,” Galushchenko said. Russian military equipment is also contaminated. “The ignorance of Russian soldiers is shocking.”
Nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986
The worst nuclear accident in history took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. The power plant was shut down and a huge protective shell around the blown-up reactor block is intended to prevent the escape of radioactivity.