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I have been blogging about how the Russian attack and seizure of the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine has released radioactive materials into the atmosphere. But there is another side to the story. How have Russian troops been affected by the radioactivity around Chernobyl?
A recent report states that the Russian convoy that took control of the Chernobyl drove through a highly toxic radioactive zone near the plant without any anti-radiation gear. This stirred up contaminated soil and exposed the Russian troops to highly dangerous radioactivity.
Russian soldiers drove tanks and other armored vehicles through the “Red Forest”. This is a highly contaminated area about four miles from the plant. The trees in the Red Forest are all dead but they have not decomposed in the thirty-five years since the nuclear disaster in 1986 because all the microorganisms were killed by the initial radiation release. The Soviet Union downplayed the disaster, denying for years that it had even happened. The disaster was caused by poorly trained staff, a flawed reactor design, and made worse by a botched evacuation.
The Russian troops had no protective gear according to two of the Ukrainian workers at the plant. The workers said that the drive through the forest was “suicidal” because the Russian soldiers likely inhaled radioactive dust that can cause internal radiation damage in their bodies. (Hard to call it suicide if the soldiers did not know they were are risk.”) In addition, it has been reported that the Russian troops were assigned to dig trenches in the Red Forest which would also expose them to high levels of radiation.
The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) reported higher-than-normal radiation levels at the plant on February 25th, the day after the Russian Army took control of the plant. The SNRIU speculated that the heavy military vehicle were a possible cause for the spike.
Though radiation levels increase following the Russian invasion, the International Atomic Energy Commission said that on the following day, the radiation readings were low and did not pose a public threat. The 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl is considered to be the biggest nuclear catastrophe in history. Fifty-one people have died as a direct result of the explosion. It has been estimated that another four thousand people could eventually die from radiation exposure according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Yaroslav Yemelianenko is the CEO of tour operator Chernobyl Tour. He claimed that a group of Russian troops occupying the Chernobyl plant was rushed across the border to a special medical facility in Belarus after exposing themselves to dangerous levels of radiation. Yemelianenko wrote a March 30th Facebook post that said “Another batch of Russian irradiated terrorists, who occupied the Chornobyl zone, was brought to the Belarusian Radiation Medicine Center in Homel today. Have you dug enough trenches in the Red Forest, motherf*ckers.” It has been reported that one of the Russian soldiers had not even heard of the famous nuclear disaster that took place at Chernobyl in 1986.
Military action in the Chernobyl zone has been a constant concern since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Many scientists around the world are worried that the Russian occupation of the Chernobyl plant poses a threat to the world. Fortunately, as of March 30, the Russian Army has been retreating around the Chernobyl site.