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Some Russian military units regrouping in Belarus amid losses: Ukraine
Source: The Hill
Ukrainian defense officials said on Sunday that some Russian military units have returned to Belarus through Chernobyl to regroup amid mounting losses as Moscow's invasion enters its fifth week.
In a statement on Saturday, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (GSAFU) said an unspecified number of Russian forces have left Ukraine and crossed into Belarus. It added that the units could return to bolster attempts to encircle the capital Kyiv.
“Several units have been taken to the Chernobyl district with further relocation to the territory of the Republic of Belarus to hold measures for the restoration of armour," GSAFU said in its Facebook post.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/599947-some-russian-military-units-regrouping-in-belarus-amid-losses
Putin thought Ukraine would be a pushover.
As Gomer Pyle used to say:
10 replies
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including disturbing the soil in and around the exclusion zone, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near there for any extended time. 
they are coming into a time of year when the vegetation can dry and with the winds, brush and wildfires are often sparked - literally right around the area of the exclusion zone and with it currently occupied with Russian soldiers, who plans to fight any fires that might erupt? 
In fact, they had a significant one a couple years ago close to the plant and when looking for that article, I just found these - there are at least 7 fires burning around the area right now -
Forest fires erupt around Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine
Oliver Milman
@olliemilman
Tue 22 Mar 2022 13.05 EDT
Last modified on Wed 23 Mar 2022 01.11 EDT
Forest fires have erupted in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, with Ukraine claiming that Russian control of the abandoned power plant is hampering efforts to control the flames. At least seven fires have been spotted within Chernobyl’s exclusion zone via satellite imagery taken by the European Space Agency, according to a statement by Ukraine’s parliament. The fires were probably ignited by the “armed aggression of the Russian federation”, the parliament said, although it’s not clear whether it was shelling, arson or some other factor that caused the outbreak.
Fires like these within 10km of the plant are “particularly dangerous”, the statement added, with Ukraine claiming its firefighters are unable to tackle the blazes due to Russia’s presence. Russian forces captured the Chernobyl plant in the opening days of the invasion of Ukraine in February. The site is known for a 1986 explosion and resulting fire that caused a major nuclear disaster, spreading radioactive contamination across Europe. The plant and surrounding area have largely been sealed off since then. However, about 200 tons of fuel remain at the bottom of the crippled reactor and is relatively unprotected. Experts have raised concern that fierce fighting in the area could damage the reactor further and cause radioactive material to escape.
Ukrainian authorities say the ongoing war is also hindering attempts to monitor radiation levels at Chernobyl. “There is no data on the current state of radiation pollution of the exclusion zone’s environment, which makes it impossible to adequately respond to threats,” said Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company. “Radiation levels in the exclusion zone and beyond, including not only Ukraine, but also other countries, could significantly worsen.” In 2020, a forest fire near the reactor caused radiation levels to spike to 16 times above normal. The conflagration was extinguished after a two-week effort by firefighters, with a man arrested for allegedly starting the fire “for fun”.
Climate scientists have pointed out that such potential disasters are partially a symptom of global heating, with rising temperatures causing forests to dry out and become more suitable fuel for fire. In Europe, places from Sweden to the Mediterranean have experienced record fire outbreaks in recent years. LeRoy Westerling, an expert in wildfires at the University of California, said warmer temperatures are causing bigger fire seasons around the world, although the situation in Ukraine is complicated “in the context of a war where there are a lot of unusual ignition sources”. “Burning around Chernobyl is a concern because the burning may mobilize radioactive particles that were deposited decades ago when the reactors melted down,” he added.
(snip)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/chernobyl-forest-fires-ukraine-nuclear-plant
Oliver Milman
@olliemilman
Tue 22 Mar 2022 13.05 EDT
Last modified on Wed 23 Mar 2022 01.11 EDT
Forest fires have erupted in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, with Ukraine claiming that Russian control of the abandoned power plant is hampering efforts to control the flames. At least seven fires have been spotted within Chernobyl’s exclusion zone via satellite imagery taken by the European Space Agency, according to a statement by Ukraine’s parliament. The fires were probably ignited by the “armed aggression of the Russian federation”, the parliament said, although it’s not clear whether it was shelling, arson or some other factor that caused the outbreak.
Fires like these within 10km of the plant are “particularly dangerous”, the statement added, with Ukraine claiming its firefighters are unable to tackle the blazes due to Russia’s presence. Russian forces captured the Chernobyl plant in the opening days of the invasion of Ukraine in February. The site is known for a 1986 explosion and resulting fire that caused a major nuclear disaster, spreading radioactive contamination across Europe. The plant and surrounding area have largely been sealed off since then. However, about 200 tons of fuel remain at the bottom of the crippled reactor and is relatively unprotected. Experts have raised concern that fierce fighting in the area could damage the reactor further and cause radioactive material to escape.
Ukrainian authorities say the ongoing war is also hindering attempts to monitor radiation levels at Chernobyl. “There is no data on the current state of radiation pollution of the exclusion zone’s environment, which makes it impossible to adequately respond to threats,” said Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company. “Radiation levels in the exclusion zone and beyond, including not only Ukraine, but also other countries, could significantly worsen.” In 2020, a forest fire near the reactor caused radiation levels to spike to 16 times above normal. The conflagration was extinguished after a two-week effort by firefighters, with a man arrested for allegedly starting the fire “for fun”.
Climate scientists have pointed out that such potential disasters are partially a symptom of global heating, with rising temperatures causing forests to dry out and become more suitable fuel for fire. In Europe, places from Sweden to the Mediterranean have experienced record fire outbreaks in recent years. LeRoy Westerling, an expert in wildfires at the University of California, said warmer temperatures are causing bigger fire seasons around the world, although the situation in Ukraine is complicated “in the context of a war where there are a lot of unusual ignition sources”. “Burning around Chernobyl is a concern because the burning may mobilize radioactive particles that were deposited decades ago when the reactors melted down,” he added.
(snip)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/chernobyl-forest-fires-ukraine-nuclear-plant
Wildfires break out in Chernobyl amid a non-functioning radiation-monitoring system
By Susan D’Agostino | March 23, 2022
Fire in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone from an earlier wildfire in April 2020. Credit: State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. Accessed via Wikipedia. CC BY 4.0.
Seven wildfires have broken out in the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, according to a statement by Ukraine’s Parliament. The fires, which were observed via satellite, exceed Ukraine’s emergency classification criteria tenfold. Ukrainian officials stated that the fires were caused by “the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, namely the shelling or arson,” though this has not been independently verified. Wildfires risk mobilizing and dispersing radioactive contaminants left over from the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl.
Ukrainian firefighters have been unable to access the area since Russia took control in the first days of the war. Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear company, also reported this week that Chernobyl’s radiation monitoring system is no longer working. Without the data that system would provide, radiation levels in the region may rise unchecked. Though the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer operational, it requires constant management.
Ukraine’s State Agency on Exclusion Zone Management also reported this week that the Russian military destroyed a six-million-euro laboratory that, in part, worked to improve radioactive waste management, according to the Associated Press. The lab contained “highly active samples and samples of radionuclides” that could have been released, according to the agency.
Seasonal wildfires are common during spring and summer in the region surrounding Chernobyl. An April 2020 wildfire required more than 100 fire trucks with accompanying firefighters to extinguish; still, it burned more than 8,600 acres. Following that fire, the Chernobyl management team adopted early intervention efforts, such as moving firefighting equipment to the region in advance of fires, that helped mitigate risks. The team also offered fire-prevention education to workers in and residents living near the region. Those efforts kept the 2021 fire season under control, Kateryna Pavlova, Chernobyl’s Head of the Department for International Cooperation and Public Relations, told the Bulletin. “Last year, we prepared the exclusion zone to [prevent] a big fire, but this year it’s the opposite,” Pavlova said. “We are not prepared.” She added that the wildfires of concern started in March this year, whereas in years past, such fires, including the big one in 2020, started in April.
https://thebulletin.org/2022/03/wildfires-break-out-in-chernobyl-amid-a-non-functioning-radiation-monitoring-system/
By Susan D’Agostino | March 23, 2022
Fire in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone from an earlier wildfire in April 2020. Credit: State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. Accessed via Wikipedia. CC BY 4.0.
Seven wildfires have broken out in the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, according to a statement by Ukraine’s Parliament. The fires, which were observed via satellite, exceed Ukraine’s emergency classification criteria tenfold. Ukrainian officials stated that the fires were caused by “the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, namely the shelling or arson,” though this has not been independently verified. Wildfires risk mobilizing and dispersing radioactive contaminants left over from the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl.
Ukrainian firefighters have been unable to access the area since Russia took control in the first days of the war. Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear company, also reported this week that Chernobyl’s radiation monitoring system is no longer working. Without the data that system would provide, radiation levels in the region may rise unchecked. Though the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer operational, it requires constant management.
Ukraine’s State Agency on Exclusion Zone Management also reported this week that the Russian military destroyed a six-million-euro laboratory that, in part, worked to improve radioactive waste management, according to the Associated Press. The lab contained “highly active samples and samples of radionuclides” that could have been released, according to the agency.
Seasonal wildfires are common during spring and summer in the region surrounding Chernobyl. An April 2020 wildfire required more than 100 fire trucks with accompanying firefighters to extinguish; still, it burned more than 8,600 acres. Following that fire, the Chernobyl management team adopted early intervention efforts, such as moving firefighting equipment to the region in advance of fires, that helped mitigate risks. The team also offered fire-prevention education to workers in and residents living near the region. Those efforts kept the 2021 fire season under control, Kateryna Pavlova, Chernobyl’s Head of the Department for International Cooperation and Public Relations, told the Bulletin. “Last year, we prepared the exclusion zone to [prevent] a big fire, but this year it’s the opposite,” Pavlova said. “We are not prepared.” She added that the wildfires of concern started in March this year, whereas in years past, such fires, including the big one in 2020, started in April.
https://thebulletin.org/2022/03/wildfires-break-out-in-chernobyl-amid-a-non-functioning-radiation-monitoring-system/
I hope their CBRN defense people have up to date measuring equipment.
(No, I really don't. And if their rad-nuc defenses are as competent as the rest of their army, it's going to be curtains for a lot more Russian soldiers. Slow, painful curtains....)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2894885
It's now wildfire season there (early this year) and there are currently 7 of them burning right now according to a UKR Parliament press release - https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/220731.html?fbclid=IwAR0uyGFq1bgLO4_Ky5X778QL66Fa-SIqSJPu7XHe7I787cVnn780VZ1zih0
TRANSLATION
It's now wildfire season there (early this year) and there are currently 7 of them burning right now according to a UKR Parliament press release - https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/220731.html?fbclid=IwAR0uyGFq1bgLO4_Ky5X778QL66Fa-SIqSJPu7XHe7I787cVnn780VZ1zih0
TRANSLATION
The situation at the nuclear facilities of Ukraine as of March 20, 2022
Information management
Published March 21, 2022, at 8:09 p.m.
Information on the Chornobyl NPP
At the end of the day on March 20, a partial rotation of Chernobyl personnel and evacuation of persons who were on the territory of the occupied station was carried out.
During this day 64 people were taken out:
• 50 Chernobyl shift personnel
• 9 employees of the National Guard of Ukraine (8 women and 1 cancer patient)
• 1 employee of the State Emergency Service
• 4 stalkers
46 volunteers of the station went to replace the evacuated personnel of the Chernobyl NPP to perform their duties and to ensure the functioning of the enterprise.
It will be recalled that the staff spent about 600 hours at work, heroically performing their professional duties and maintaining an adequate level of safety.
About the radiation situation in the exclusion zone in the area of the fire.
Within the exclusion zone, 7 foci of ignition continue to be recorded according to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite images.
Probably the fire was caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, namely the shelling or arson. For the same reasons and taking into account the work in martial law, the ASKRS points cannot perform their functions in full, as well as the staff of SSE "Ecocenter". According to the Classification of Emergencies, the criteria for fire in the Exclusion Zone should not exceed 0.05-0.2 sq. Km, but the current state of the area of fires exceeds these indicators ten times.
From the point of view of radiation risks recorded by the Automated Radiation Control System (ACMS) at 39 points, existing fires in areas with significant levels of radionuclide contamination and at the location of radioactive waste management infrastructure within a 10-kilometer radius are particularly dangerous.
Information management
Published March 21, 2022, at 8:09 p.m.
Information on the Chornobyl NPP
At the end of the day on March 20, a partial rotation of Chernobyl personnel and evacuation of persons who were on the territory of the occupied station was carried out.
During this day 64 people were taken out:
• 50 Chernobyl shift personnel
• 9 employees of the National Guard of Ukraine (8 women and 1 cancer patient)
• 1 employee of the State Emergency Service
• 4 stalkers
46 volunteers of the station went to replace the evacuated personnel of the Chernobyl NPP to perform their duties and to ensure the functioning of the enterprise.
It will be recalled that the staff spent about 600 hours at work, heroically performing their professional duties and maintaining an adequate level of safety.
About the radiation situation in the exclusion zone in the area of the fire.
Within the exclusion zone, 7 foci of ignition continue to be recorded according to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite images.
Probably the fire was caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, namely the shelling or arson. For the same reasons and taking into account the work in martial law, the ASKRS points cannot perform their functions in full, as well as the staff of SSE "Ecocenter". According to the Classification of Emergencies, the criteria for fire in the Exclusion Zone should not exceed 0.05-0.2 sq. Km, but the current state of the area of fires exceeds these indicators ten times.
From the point of view of radiation risks recorded by the Automated Radiation Control System (ACMS) at 39 points, existing fires in areas with significant levels of radionuclide contamination and at the location of radioactive waste management infrastructure within a 10-kilometer radius are particularly dangerous.
That's a really specific personnel list!
(am guessing either unauthorized local Ukrainians who were in the area observing the fiasco and got caught or maybe injured Russian soldiers)
