Documents and archives collected at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant for decades were destroyed during the Russian occupation. Oleksandr Syrota, Chairman of the Public Council at the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management reported this on his Facebook page.

“This is all that is left of our Chornobyl documents and archives. What we have been collecting for decades, some rascal just threw in the trash,” wrote Oleksandr and added a photo with the remnants of paper in the trash.

Enerhoatom with a reference to State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management also adds, that almost all office spaces in the Chornobyl zone were significantly damaged and plundered.

In Chornobyl, the occupiers looted and destroyed a modern analytical laboratory worth 6 million euros. It was a unique complex with powerful analytical capabilities which could provide services at any stage of radioactive waste management, as well as at the stage of research and development of technology. In addition to the property of state-owned enterprises, the Russians also stole the personal belongings of employees.

It is too early to draw conclusions about the radiation background in the exclusion zone. “We need to launch the Automated system for monitoring the radiation situation (if possible, there has been no sensor inspection yet) to be able to base our conclusions on the facts,” stated State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. So far, spot measurements have shown significant levels of background radiation for the area where they were conducted.

Enerhoatom warns that visiting and staying in the Chornobyl zone is extremely dangerous. There are high radiation risks, explosion threats and logistical obstacles.