Ukrainian officials reported Saturday "abnormally high" radiation in areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where they say Russian troops dug trenches and tried to build fortifications when they occupied the region until late last month.
Why it matters: It's one of the world's most toxic places due to the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could not immediately verify claims of radioactive dust in areas of the zone known as the "Red Forest," but is due to send a team to the region to assess damage.
Yes, but: Rafael Mariano Grossi director general of United Nations nuclear watchdog the IAEA, said in a statement Saturday that despite "the increase in the level of radioactive contamination … due to non-conformity with requirements of radiation safety and strict access procedures," the radiation situation was "within the limits" for the site.
What they're saying: Valeriy Simyonov, chief safety engineer for the Chernobyl nuclear site, told the New York Times Saturday that Russian troops "ignored" engineers' warnings of radiation risks to digging trenches after they seized control of the station....
- "They came and did whatever they wanted" in the zone around the plant that's some 80 miles north of Kyiv, Simyonov said.
- Ukrainian soldier Ihor Ugolkov told CNN, which visited Chernobyl, that Russian troops "went to the Red Forest and brought radioactive material back with them on their shoes."
- "Other places are fine, but radiation increased here, because they