A video released by the Ukrainian military is said to show evidence that Russian troops have dug trenches in the Red Forest, the most contaminated area of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The video, which has no date and is of unknown origin, appears to show drone footage. It depicts earth looking dug, in a continuous shot transferred to an image of the sarcophagus covering the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the distance. The video was shared by the Ukrainian army on Twitter on Wednesday. It comes with the text: “Video proof. The Russian administration ordered its troops to dig fortifications near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the radioactive Red Forest in March 2022.” Chornobyl is an alternative spelling. You can see the tweet below: – Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 6, 2022 The video shows a road that appears to correspond to a location on the maps of the area, which would put the recording point about 3.5 km (2 miles) from the power plant. The approximate location of the video was estimated based on visual landmarks. Google maps / Insider. Russian troops left the site last week, five weeks after invading the Chernobyl blockade on February 24. Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned electricity company, said Russian troops had dug trenches while they were there and then showed signs of radioactivity. The International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations-affiliated organization that provides radiation safety advice, said it was investigating the allegations. According to anonymous Ukrainian workers at the Chernobyl site while Russia was occupying it, troops drove armored vehicles into the Red Forest without any protective equipment and were exposed to radioactive dust. One worker said some troops appeared to be unaware of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which is synonymous with nuclear disaster.
