Ukraine says Russians stole lethal substances from Chernobyl

By: 3 years ago

Firefighters take part in a joint tactical and special exercises of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ukrainian National Guard and Ministry Emergency in a ghost city of Pripyat, near Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on February 4, 2022. | PHOTO: Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP

碍驰滨痴鈥�Russian forces who occupied the Chernobyl nuclear plant stole radioactive substances from research laboratories that could potentially kill them, Ukraine鈥檚 State Agency for Managing the Exclusion Zone said on Sunday.

Moscow鈥檚 forces seized the defunct power plant on the first day of their invasion of Ukraine on February 24. They occupied the highly radioactive zone for over a month, before retreating on March 31.

The agency said on Facebook that Russian soldiers pillaged two laboratories in the area.

It said the Russians entered a storage area of the Ecocenter research base and stole 133 highly radioactive substances.

鈥淓ven a small part of this activity is deadly if handled unprofessionally,鈥� the agency said.

Earlier this week Ukraine鈥檚 energy minister German Gulashchenko said Russian soldiers exposed themselves to a 鈥渟hocking鈥� amount of nuclear radiation, saying some of them may have less than a year to live.

鈥淭hey dug bare soil contaminated with radiation, collected radioactive sand in bags for fortification, breathed this dust,鈥� Gulashchenko said on Facebook on Friday after visiting the exclusion zone.

鈥淎fter a month of such exposure, they have a maximum of one year of life. More precisely, not life but a slow death from diseases,鈥� the minister said.

鈥淓very Russian soldier will bring a piece of Chernobyl home. Dead or alive.鈥�

He said Russian military equipment was also contaminated.

鈥淭he ignorance of Russian soldiers is shocking.鈥�

The Chernobyl power station was the site in 1986 of the world鈥檚 worst nuclear disaster.

黑料社