Ukraine reported that Russian troops stole radioactive material from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

The Ukrainian authorities reported that the Russian forces that controlled the region of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant for a month have taken radioactive material “as a souvenir” and joked with the Russian military nomination for the Darwin Awards, which reward those who cause their own deaths with stupid acts.

“The (Russian) occupants stole and damaged 133 objects with a total activity of about 7 million becquerels, comparable to 700 kilograms of radioactive waste with beta and gamma radiation. Even a small part is deadly if handled unprofessionally,” the Ukrainian State Agency for the Management of Exclusion Zones warned in a statement.

This radioactive material was taken from laboratories in the city of Chernobyl where the risk of exposure to radiation was investigated and options for handling radioactive materials for subsequent decision-making about work in different areas of the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

“If you have taken such a memory with you, in two weeks it is guaranteed that radiation burns will occur and begin to suffer from the effects of radiation and irreversible processes in the body,” the Ukrainian body warned.

The Agency acknowledged that it does not know the whereabouts of the stolen radioactive parts. “The degree of conservation and safety of calibration sources and sample radioactive solutions cannot be guaranteed and the condition of the damaged ones will be determined after proper inventory and measurements,” he said.

The offices and laboratory of the Safety Institute of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have also been “looted and destroyed” by “Russian invaders and marauders”, according to the Agency. “Computers, office supplies, laboratory equipment and measuring devices have been stolen and destroyed,” the agency said.

The Ukrainian authorities warned that Russian forces controlling Chernobyl have acted recklessly and visited the Red Forest, the area most affected by the radiation after the Chernobyl reactor explosion in 1986. The Russians visited the contaminated area and then returned to their dormitories, bringing with them radioactive dust and thus contaminating the premises.

“They dug into the contaminated soil and made earth bags for fortifications with radioactive sand. They breathed this dust,” Ukrainian Energy Minister German Gulashchenko warned on Friday. The minister gave the military who dug a year to live.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recalled that last month Ukraine reported that the central analysis laboratory in the locality of Chernobyl had been “looted” and that it could not confirm the safety of its calibration sources or the status of the environmental samples stored there.

The IAEA further noted that Ukraine has informed it that the first rotation of personnel has been carried out at the plant since Russian troops took over the plant, noting that the workers “have lived and worked in extremely stressful and difficult circumstances” during the five weeks of the Russian occupation.

This shift change is essential, according to IAEA, for the safe operation of the plant.

This Saturday Ukraine reported an increase in the level of radioactive contamination in Chernobyl, although it indicated that it is still within normal limits, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported.

This UN agency noted that Ukrainian authorities are gradually restoring nuclear and radiation safety control, but that they remain short of personnel for maintenance and repair work that was interrupted when Russian forces occupied the plant on February 24.

With information from Europa Press and EFE

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