Drone footage appears to show abandoned Russian trenches near Chernobyl nuclear plant

Drone footage taken from the exclusion zone around Chernobyl nuclear power plant appears to confirm reports that Russian troops dug trenches close to the site.

The video, which has been geolocated and verified, shows mounds of disturbed earth - believed to be radioactive - dug up on the outskirts of the Red Forest.

Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, Energoatom, last week reported that multiple Russian soldiers had been evacuated from the forest to Belarus for acute radiation syndrome (ARS) treatment.

Vladimir Putin’s forces took control of the Chernobyl area soon after the invasion, but have since retreated.

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