Ukrainian soldiers have been photographed walking inside Chernobyl for the first time since it was recaptured by Russia.
The power plant – the site of the worst nuclear disaster in the world – and the northern Pripyat region were seized by Putin’s forces within days of the February invasion.
But after losing thousands of troops during weeks of intense fighting, Moscow ordered a retreat to the east, prompting the liberation of areas throughout Ukraine.
Images from inside the infamous Chernobyl Exclusion Zone now show a scene of destruction, with bombed bridges and abandoned tanks in the spooky wilderness.
New drone footage also appears to confirm reports that the Russians dug silly trenches in the Red Forest next to the decommissioned plant.
The forest received some of the highest doses of radiation when the reactor exploded in 1986, and is still highly radioactive 36 years later.
Dozens of Russian soldiers have reportedly contracted “acute radioactivity” after digging in contaminated soil.
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The map shows where Russian troops dug trenches near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (Image: Metro.co.uk). Chernobyl was occupied by Russian troops in the early days of the invasion (Image: AP). during the battles at Chernobyl (Image: AP)
An official in the Ukrainian state service overseeing the Exclusion Zone said the “irradiated” Russians were transported by bus to a clinic in neighboring Belarus for treatment.
Reacting with joy at the time, Chernobyl tour guide Yaroslav Yemelianenko wrote on Twitter: “Another batch of irradiated Russian terrorists occupying the Chernobyl zone has been transferred to the Belarussian Radiation Center today.
“Have you dug trenches in the Red Forest, b
s? Now live with it for the rest of your short life. “
A bus blocks a road in the spooky Chernobyl exclusion zone (Image: AP) Russians abandon their tanks in Chernobyl (Image: AP) A bridge between the village of Dytiatky and Chernobyl was destroyed by Russian soldiers (Image: AP)
Russian troops “panicked at the first sign of illness”, which “appeared very quickly” and began preparing to leave, the energy company Energoatom said.
Ukraine has spent weeks voicing security concerns about Chernobyl and demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops, whose presence has prevented the plant workers from being replaced.
Ukrainian plant personnel continued to oversee the safe storage of spent fuel and to monitor the remains of the exploding reactor.
