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'Thick-skinned' Russian soldiers down with radiation sickness after fishing, digging trenches in Chernobyl

Chernobyl resident Baba Hana, 90, clashed with soldier trying to warn them against it. But, they installed themselves in the forest, reportedly dug trenches and fished catfish, and shot animals from the reactor's cooling channel

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Abhishek Awasthi|Apr 30, 2023, 16:08:12 IST

Russian soldiers who dug trenches in the Chernobyl forest during their takeover of the area fell ill with radiation sickness.When the Russians arrived, local Ukrainians living close to the nuclear power plant that detonated 37 years ago and engulfed the area in radioactive contamination warned them against establishing up camp in the forest.However, the soldiers even after initially understanding the ‘risks’, installed themselves in the forest, reportedly dug trenches and fished catfish, and shot animals from the reactor's cooling channel.Chernobyl resident Baba Hana, 90, recalled a clash with the occupying forces in an interview with The Times by saying, "I started yelling at them."According to reports, Vladimir Putin's forces camped out close to reactor No. 4 and dug defensive trenches into the deadly soil beneath the surface.The last of the occupants departed on April 1 when Ukrainian troops launched counterattacks from Kyiv, leaving behind mountains of trash.Diplomats have reported that radiation illness has since struck down Russian servicemen stationed in the woodland. After exposure, symptoms may appear within an hour and linger for several months, frequently leading to death.On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's reactor number 4 erupted. The world's worst nuclear civil incident is how most people refer to it. As a result, numerous people perished, and less than six years later, the USSR fell.Prypiat's city and the 30 km exclusion zone around it were emptied of all of its inhabitants, and the cleanup was planned to be finished in 2065.Teams of workers were sent to remove the contaminated topsoil and bury it underground in the Red Forest, which got its name from the colour the disaster-affected trees took on. This work was done in the years following the occurrence.Russian military entered Chernobyl on February 24, 2022, from Belarus, and stayed there for five weeks.Oksana Pyshna, 30, a former tour guide who now works for the state ministry in charge of the exclusion zone, told the newspaper, "Don't try to find logic, it's stupid."Read all the Latest News, Trending NewsCricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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First Published:Apr 30, 2023, 16:08:12 IST
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