Russian soldier stationed at Chernobyl 'dies of radiation poisoning'

dailystar.co.uk:

Chernobyl.The troop had been camping in the Red Forest, which is located within the exclusion zone of the hazardous nuclear power plant in Ukraine.He was a member of the group of Russian soldiers which first captured the area towards the start of Putin's 'special military operation' in the nation, according to reports in The Telegraph.Earlier this week the Ukrainian defence ministry said that Russian forces had now left the area, with occupying forces now appearing to concentrate their efforts in the east of the nation.It comes after soldiers were said to have been spotted being shipped home from the Ukraine war zone with “acute radiation sickness” after digging trenches near the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant, it has been reported.Chernobyl staff reported seeing the Russians driving “a big convoy of military vehicles” through the deadly woodland, causing huge clouds of radioactive soil and dust to be kicked up into the air.The area — named for the pine trees that turned red after being exposed to highly radioactive waste – is considered so highly toxic that not even specially-trained Chernobyl workers are allowed to enter the zone.A 1,000 square-mile exclusion zone was set up around Chernobyl in 1986 after the worst nuclear disaster in human history.Around 49,000 people were evacuated from the area, primarily from the neighbouring town of Pripyat.

The area had been open for short trips by tourists from 2011 until the invasion, after authorities deemed it safe to visit for limited periods of time.The disaster saw a reactor at the power plant dramatically explode and burn after a major technical error, emitting deadly radiation throughout the former Soviet Union and parts of Europe.Thousands of people have.