UN Watchdog Says Radiation From Chernobyl "Abnormal" After Russian Attack

That's not good.

Abnormal Distribution

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' atomic watchdog, is warning that radiation levels at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear disaster site have been rising ever since Russian forces took control over the site earlier this year.

"The radiation level, I would say, is abnormal," IAEA director Rafael Grossi said during a visit to the site that marked the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster 36 years ago, as quoted by Agence France-Presse. "There have been some moments when the levels have gone up because of the movement of the heavy equipment that Russian forces were bringing here and when they left."

"We are following that day by day," he added.

During his visit, Grossi also reiterated that Russia's takeover has been "absolutely abnormal and very, very dangerous" — a warning that we're far from being out of the woods after Russian forces gave up control of the site.

Dangerous Game

Russian soldiers captured the site in late February, but vacated it over a month later, with soldiers reportedly spreading radiative materials over the region before abandoning it.

Russian forces have also reportedly impeded efforts to fight wildfires in the reactor's exclusion zone that were spotted by European Space Agency satellites last month.

All told, the country's reckless actions have made a huge mess of the site of the worst nuclear disaster in human history.

Officials now have the arduous task of picking up the pieces, with the hope that radiation levels will eventually return to normal. But given the uncertainty of the brutal invasion of Ukraine, anything could happen.

READ MORE: Radiation Level At Chernobyl 'Abnormal': IAEA Chief [Agence France Presse]

More on Chernobyl: Ukraine Says Idiot Russian Soldiers Tracked Radiative Material All Over Chernobyl, Then Abandoned It