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'No way out': Life under the Russians at Chernobyl

It began as a normal shift at Chernobyl for Oleksiy Shelestiy but as night turned to day on February 24, distant artillery fire and the arrival of Russian troops changed everything.

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Ukrainian authorities have since accused the Russians of showing wanton disregard for basic safety during their occupation of Chernobyl, saying its soldiers dug trenches and set up camps in contaminated areas of the facility that had received heavy doses of radiation. "They dug bare soil contaminated with radiation, collected radioactive sand in bags for fortification, breathed this dust," said Energy Minister German Galushchenko in April, claiming the Russian forces had been exposed to a "shocking" amount of radiation.