From The Guardian liveblog
Russian soldiers who seized the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster drove unprotected through a highly toxic zone called the “Red Forest”, kicking up clouds of radioactive dust, Chernobyl workers said.
The soldiers drove their armoured vehicles without any anti-radiation gear, according to two sources who spoke to Reuters. Both were on duty when Russian tanks entered Chernobyl on 24 February and took control of the site.
The two Chernobyl employees said they had witnessed Russian tanks and other armoured vehicles moving through the Red Forest, which is the most radioactively contaminated part of the zone around Chernobyl.
One of the Chernobyl employees said it was “suicidal” for the soldiers because the radioactive dust they inhaled was likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies.
The hernobyl nuclear site, about 100km (65 miles) north of Kyiv. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
A vast area around Chernobyl is off-limits to anyone who does not work there or have special permission, but the Red Forest is considered so highly contaminated that even the nuclear plant workers are not allowed to go there.
The Russian military convoy went through the zone, the two sources said. One of them said it used an abandoned road.
One of the sources said:
A big convoy of military vehicles drove along a road right behind our facility and this road goes past the Red Forest.
The convoy kicked up a big column of dust. Many radiation safety sensors showed exceeded levels.
Reuters could not independently verify their accounts. Asked about the accounts from Chernobyl staff, Russia’s defence ministry did not respond.
