--- title: "Chernobyl Workers Say Russian Soldiers Entered Forbidden Zone, Inhaled Radioactive Dust" description: "Sources are telling Reuters that when Russian forces seized Chernobyl, they drove a convoy of vehicles directly through the still-forbidden Red Forest." date: "2022-03-30" modified: "2022-03-30" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chernobyl-russia-forbidden-radioactive-dust" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "chernobyl" - "Russia" - "the digest" - "ukraine" --- # Chernobyl Workers Say Russian Soldiers Entered Forbidden Zone, Inhaled Radioactive Dust ![Sources are telling Reuters that when Russian forces seized Chernobyl, they drove a convoy of vehicles directly through the still-forbidden Red Forest.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Red Forest A grim part of the lore of the Chernobyl disaster involves a patch of pine trees that [turned red after absorbing huge doses of radiation](), becoming known as the "Red Forest." Now the Red Forest is back in the news for another grim reason, with multiple sources at the disaster site [telling ]()*[Reuters]()* that when Russian forces seized the plant earlier this month, they drove a convoy of vehicles directly through the still-forbidden area — with no protective gear, meaning they probably inhaled nuclear material that's "likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies." "Nobody goes there... for God's sake," Chernobyl acting director Valery Seida told the news agency. ## Half Life Seida told *Reuters* that he tried to warn the Russian forces about the danger, but they didn't seem to understand the significance of the disaster site. "When they were asked if they knew about the 1986 catastrophe, the explosion of the fourth block (of the Chernobyl plant), they did not have a clue," another worker at the disaster site told the agency. "They had no idea what kind of a facility they were at." Even worse, workers at the plant told *Reuters*, the armored convoy appears to have kicked up radioactive dust in the entire area, with sensor readings spiking to seven times their normal level before going offline. If workers at the melted down facility are to be believed, that's not the only risk that the invasion has posed to the Chernobyl disaster site. Russia has also been accused of [impeding efforts to fight fires near the site](). And according to [reporting from last week](), radioactive materials have gone missing from at least one nearby laboratory that scientists believe could be used to manufacturer a dirty bomb. **More on Chernobyl:** [*Ukraine Says Russia Destroyed Lab That Monitors Chernobyl Radiation Levels*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()