--- title: "Ukraine Situation Report: Evidence Russia Dug Trenches In Contaminated Chernobyl Forest Emerges" description: "The Red Forest around the defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is one of the most radiation-contaminated places on Earth." date: "2022-04-06" modified: "2022-04-07" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/45098/ukraine-situation-report-evidence-russia-dug-trenches-in-contaminated-chernobyl-forest-emerges" categories: - "Americas" - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "NATO" - "News & Features" - "Russia" - "U.S. Homeland" - "Ukraine" tags: - "air defenses" - "Belarus" - "Black Sea" - "Chernobyl" - "civilian casualties" - "Donbas" - "invasion" - "Kyiv" - "military aid" - "NATO" - "Negotiations" - "russia" - "Talks" - "Ukraine" --- # Ukraine Situation Report: Evidence Russia Dug Trenches In Contaminated Chernobyl Forest Emerges ![]() *www.twz.com* Video footage, shot using a small drone, has emerged that the Ukrainian military says shows evidence supporting previous reports that Russian forces dug trenches and other fighting positions in the so-called [Red Forest]() surrounding the [now-defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant](). This area is highly contaminated; large amounts of soil there could help explain, at least in part, a spike in detectable radiation after elements of the Russian armed forces first [took control of the site]() shortly after the invasion began in February. Ukrainian units recently retook the Chernobyl site after Russian forces pulled out. Ukraine's armed forces have [liberated or otherwise reasserted control]() over much of northern Ukraine as a result of a combination of counter-offensives and Russian withdrawals. Over the past few weeks, Russian units have been repositioning out of various regions in the northeastern end of Ukraine as the emphasis [has shifted to securing areas]() further to the east and south. There have been reports that the pressure is coming from the Kremlin to show some [kind of victory by May 9](), the annual commemoration date of Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Before getting into the latest news below, *The War Zone* readers can get themselves fully up to speed first on how the conflict in Ukraine has been progressing so far through our previous rolling coverage [here](). ***WARNING: Some of the updates below contain graphic material.*** ## The Latest ***UPDATED—*** You can find our continuing rolling coverage of the conflict in Ukraine [here](). ***POSTED: 2:10*** ***PM EST—*** The video, seen in the Tweet below, that shows what look to be trenches and other fighting positions dug around a base camp area near the old Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant [first emerged on the Telegram]() social media network earlier today. There [had been reports]() that Russian forces had dug trenches and otherwise established themselves in the Red Forest, but there had been nothing further to substantiate that. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511709947809181698 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511652131387891712 A Ukrainian language post accompanying the new video on Telegram further claimed, without providing additional evidence, that Russian personnel had "managed \[to\]... eat fish from local ponds, drink water and ride on old military equipment, which was preserved here due to high levels of radiation." That post also included a number of pictures reportedly taken by Ukrainian forces now on the ground in the area. Among those photographs was a shot of [a BTR-60-series]() 8x8 wheeled light armored vehicle seen in the Tweet below. This is a very dated vehicle, the first variants of which entered Soviet service in 1959. It's not immediately clear if this is one that Russian forces brought with them into the area in the course of the invasion or one that was leftover from the response to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511572424306962432 The vehicle does have "V" markings, which are among those that Russian units have been using to differentiate themselves from elements of Ukraine's armed forces, but these appear to have been hastily applied. The exterior of the vehicle also appears to be rusted or corroded, and there is a gas mask covered in dirt or dust hanging on the front. This might point to this BTR-60-series vehicle having already been there, which could fit with the claim that Russian troops took a "ride on old military equipment" in the area and would mean that is likely highly contaminated with radiation. At the same time, it is important to note that the Russian military does continue to utilize BTR-60-based vehicles in specialized roles and examples configured as mobile command posts and to conduct reconnaissance in environments where chemical, biological, or nuclear threats may be present have been observed elsewhere in Ukraine since the invasion began. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511405315178348554 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1510189755937480704 Previous reports had also indicated that some number of Russian troops operating in the Red Forest experienced the [effects of acute radiation syndrome]() after preparing this base area, but there remains nothing to substantiate this. “I would say because they were digging the trenches in the Red Forest, it will pose a danger because if you would do it without protective gear and without a respirator, you would inhale radioactive dust, and it will really increase the probability of the person having cancer,” Olena Pareniuk, a Ukrainian nuclear researcher specializing in aftereffects of disaster like the one that occurred at Chernobyl in 1986, recently told *The War Zone*. “It's not enough to cause acute radiation syndrome.” Pareniuk did talk with *The War Zone* at length about very real potential risks for nuclear catastrophes in Ukraine as a result of the current conflict, which you can read more about [here](). More details about what happened in and around the Chernobyl site, as well as other areas across northern Ukraine, are likely to continue to emerge now that Ukrainian forces have retaken them. The latest map regarding the conflict in the country from the U.K. Ministry of Defence shows that British authorities have assessed that Russia's units have been pushed out or otherwise withdrawn from much of the northern end of the country. The U.S. military has assessed that there are now no more Russian forces at all in the vicinity of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and that some 40 percent of Russia's total invasion force has now left the country, at least temporarily. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511640825549279233 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511732801393115136 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511732569787842568 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511731977354977283 Fighting in areas of eastern and southern Ukraine continues to be heavy. Russia continues to try to defeat the remaining Ukrainian forces in the strategic southern port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. This city, which has been surrounded and under siege [for 37 days now](), is a key element in the larger Russian objective [of securing a land bridge]() to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. In the meantime, the humanitarian situation there continues to deteriorate and there are ongoing efforts to try to help civilians evacuate. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511563287057551368 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511686386524606471 Local Ukrainian authorities claim that Russian forces have deployed [mobile crematorium vehicles]() to Mariupol to help dispose of bodies of civilians killed in the fighting so far, potentially as part of an effort to conceal the extent of the [carnage and possible war crimes](). So far, there is no evidence to help independently verify these assertions. Ukraine's Security Service, better known as the SBU, an internal security and intelligence agency, has separately warned that Russian officials may use dead civilians to claim that Ukrainian forces have been using them as human shields. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511660125525848065 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511673659181748226 The U.K. Ministry of Defence has released an annotated satellite image obtained via commercial provider Planet Labs showing what appear to be dead bodies in the streets of the Ukrainian town of Bucha while it was still occupied by Russian forces. This adds [to the already growing evidence]() of potential war crimes, including [the deliberate targeting of civilians](), which elements of Russia's military carried out there, among other locations in the country. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511424027394457611 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511664147452203016 Ukrainian authorities say that at least 400 residents from the town of Hostomel outside of the capital Kyiv are missing, with witnesses reportedly saying that some of them were killed by Russian occupation forces. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511715735927730177 Lithuania's Minister of National Defense has said that Ukrainian troops that received direct training from his country on the use of [Stinger shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles](), also known as man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), have shot down at least 8 "targets" over the course of the conflict so far. "This only confirms that training of Ukrainians to use sophisticated techniques is possible and necessary to repel Russian aggression," he wrote in a Tweet today. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511667824065982470 Ukrainian authorities say they have flown members of the country's national Emergency Service, or SES, to Germany and the Czech Republic for treatment after suffering serious injuries while carrying out their duties. At least one of these individuals was reportedly injured after triggering a mine in a recently liberated area. There is growing evidence that Russian forces deliberately [placed mines and other booby-traps]() before they withdrew from various locations. Exploded ordnance that is now spread across portions of Ukraine simply as a result of the fighting is a major threat, as well. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511692800974376968 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511687217848143873 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511632348969852928 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511637911707566087 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511729876511993860 More imagery showing the general devastation that Russia's war in Ukraine has wrought continues to emerge, especially from areas now back in Ukrainian hands in the northern part of the country. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511693109079547906 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511663552041525253 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511740275202441219 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511747757580689417 The United Nations General Assembly is set to vote tomorrow on whether or not to suspend Russia from the organization's Human Rights Council. Two-thirds of the General Assembly would have to vote in favor of such a move for it to take effect. The Russian government has, unsurprisingly, warned that any country that votes yes on this motion could suffer diplomatic or other consequences as a result. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511685177419911174 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511740768586801153 The U.S. government has hit Russia with new sanctions, including ones that target Russian President Vladimir Putin's adult children, among other elites in the country. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511718135686119424 Hungarian authorities say they are willing to pay for imports of Russian gas in rubles, something officials in Moscow say will be the rule for "unfriendly countries" going forward. This goes against an effort by top European Union officials to oppose this payment requirement across the bloc. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1511698985634959366 We will continue to update this post with new information until we state otherwise. *C**ontact the author: joe@thedrive.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()