Russian forces have fired radioactive dust and disrupted a highly toxic area around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster area known as the “Red Forest” since occupying the decommissioned power plant early in its invasion of Ukraine, workers said. Reuters spoke to workers who said Russian soldiers in a convoy did not use anti-radiation equipment and inhaled toxic dust that was likely to cause internal radiation to their bodies. In the weeks since Russia occupied the site on February 24, the soldiers were still not wearing any protective equipment, they said. Two workers were on duty when Russian forces took control of the Chernobyl power plant, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, which is considered the worst in history and became an international disgrace to the Soviet Union. The Red Forest, a small area around the power plant, is still heavily polluted. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MAY ALLOW RUSSIA TO BUY IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM EXCESS IN NEW NUCLEAR AGREEMENT In the days since Moscow took over the plant, workers told the news agency that they saw Russian armored vehicles and tanks moving through the forest, which took its name from the huge amount of radiation that made the trees red. A Russian soldier told them he had never heard of the 1986 disaster. “A large convoy of military vehicles led to a road just behind our facilities and this road passes by the Red Forest,” an official told Reuters. “The escort launched a large column of dust. Many radiation sensors showed exceeding levels.” The factory’s general, Valerie Seida, told Reuters that he had been told about the escort, saying “no one goes there. There is no one there”. One day after the occupation, Russia said that the level of radioactivity in the factory was within limits and that the staff was monitoring the radioactivity. On March 9, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that it had stopped receiving monitoring data from the Chernobyl site. Over the weekend, Russian forces captured the town of Slavutych, home to many workers at the outdated Chernobyl plant. On Monday, Seida and the mayor of Slavutych said the Russians had left the city. US Senator Bob Menedez, DN.J., has called on the IAEA to work to ensure oversight of Russian-controlled Ukrainian nuclear facilities. In a letter to IAEA Director General Grossi on Monday, Menendez said Moscow’s disregard for IAEA security protocols “exposes the international community to unpredictable nuclear threats and represents the President’s disregard for the citizens of Ukraine and its own People. “ “As we have learned from past nuclear disasters, the effects are lasting, irreversible and result in the loss of lives, habitats and ecosystems and valuable societies near nuclear facilities,” he wrote. Grossi traveled to Ukraine on Tuesday for talks with senior government officials on the IAEA plan to provide technical assistance in a bid to avoid any danger to people or the environment. “Military conflict puts Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and other radioactive installations at unprecedented risk. We must take urgent action to ensure that they can continue to operate safely and safely and reduce the risk of a nuclear accident that could “to have a serious impact on health and the environment both in Ukraine and beyond,” he said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION The statement said Grossi would travel to one of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants this week, but did not specify who. Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors at four active power plants. As of Monday, according to the IAEA, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator had told it that eight of Ukraine’s 15 reactors were still operating, including two in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia. The others were closed for regular maintenance, he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
